over and over the only truth
by Meghan Page
Summary: "They say repetition can form habits. So maybe it's a habit, the way Kara feels about Lena. But maybe, all she really needs is a few tries for the feelings to sink in." Another threat on Lena's life, another fancy event, another invitation to both Kara and Supergirl. But what happens when the assailant brings a temporal-powered weapon - and ends up throwing Kara back through time?
1. Chapter 1

They say repetition can form habits. So maybe it's a habit, the way Kara feels about Lena. But maybe, all she really needs is a few tries for the feelings to sink in.

Kara's hurrying along the street, styrofoam cup in hand, having just stopped by Noonan's for a coffee for Snapper. Not that he had asked her for one, but she had thought that maybe, just _maybe_ , she can get him to like her a little better if she plies him with a bit of caffeine. She puts a little zip in her step - not _superspeed_ type zip, no, she would never - hoping to get it to him before the morning really starts.

Of course, at that moment her super-hearing picks up the sound of screaming coming from across the city.

With a last forlorn look at the coffee in her hand, she dumps it into a trashcan, then ducks into the nearest alleyway, emerging in a blur of blue and red as she takes to the air. In a matter of moments she has located the source of the screams - her heart lurching when she realizes they were coming from outside L-Corp - and touches down in the courtyard in front of Lena's building.

What she sees makes her stop in its tracks.

Here and there across the courtyard stand people frozen in place - literally. It looks like some perverse freeze-tag, where everyone has just become locked in mid-motion. Some are cowering, while others have their arms and legs bent like they are running - a few even hovering mid-step. But all are utterly motionless. One man even has his own cup of coffee, frozen as it tips from his hand, its arc of spilled contents creating a Rorschach blot against the air.

And just beyond the frozen individuals is the source of the screams - spread out across the middle of the courtyard are five men dressed all in black, four with pistols flanking one that is obviously the leader, who is wielding a huge, strange-looking gun. Its odd, angular shape and unfamiliar metal mark it as clearly alien.

Even as Kara starts forward to stop them, the man with the strange gun fires. Two lances of bluish light shoot from the weapon, hitting a pair of fleeing pedestrians and freezing them in place.

All five men let out harsh laughs, and the leader gives the gun an appreciative heft. "I love this thing!" he cheers.

He turns it towards the far end of the courtyard, his gaze becoming flinty. "How would you like your turn, sweetheart?"

Kara looks past him to find his target, and suddenly her worst fears are realized.

Crowded close to the glass walls of her building, square in the sights of the freeze gun, is Lena Luthor.

She is struggling against another man, trying to free herself from his grip around her bicep. Kara thinks for a second it's a sixth thug, until she sees that he is stiff as a board. Finally recognizing the uniform he wears, she places him as one of Lena's security team, frozen in place as he tried to remove Lena from danger, instead trapping her there.

"Hey!" Kara calls out, immediately taking up her most intimidating pose, fists firm on her hips. "Stop right there!"

The attackers immediately spin to face her, surprise melting into scorn when they see who is speaking.

"Oh, well if it isn't Supergirl!" the leader jeers, sharing derisive looks with his companions.

Without warning, he fires on her, hitting her straight in the chest with a blue-white bolt. The blast throws her backwards, hurling her to the ground with enough force to crack the cement.

Though the gun doesn't have its intended affect on her, it knocks the breath straight from her lungs, and by the time she has hauled herself back to her feet the gunmen have closed in around her.

Even as they opened fire on her, Kara finds her attention drawn away, back towards the opposite end of the courtyard. Instead of focussing on her, as she had hoped, the man with the freeze gun has turned back towards Lena. Kara sees her begin to struggle even harder against her involuntary captor as he advances on her with slow, taunting steps.

Springing into action, Kara quickly dispatches one gunman and then another, sending the other two scrambling towards safety. Not bothering to watch them go, she whirls back around and leans forward, sending a flash of her laser vision towards the leader. It hits the gun straight in what she guesses is its power source, causing a shower of sparks to rain from the weapon.

It gives a few coughing clicks as the attacker tries futilely to pull the trigger, and he gives it a desperate shake as Kara approaches, ready to take him down. But even as she steps towards him, the sound of gunshots ring out again, and she feels bullets bounce off of her shoulder and back.

Spinning back around, she sees that one of the other thugs has come back and is firing wildly at her. Leaping into the air to keep the frenzied spray of bullets away from Lena, Kara holds out her hand, carefully angling it to deflect one of his shots and send it straight back into his leg.

He drops with a cry of pain, and Kara reels to confront the man with the freeze gun - only to find that he's gone.

She swivels her head, catching sight of his back just as it disappears into a dark van, which immediately peels away from the curb and around the corner.

As the van vanishes from sight, the figures around her unfreeze, stumbling as they unlock from their positions, a few finally releasing cut-off cries. The security guard holding Lena jerks into motion, dragging her a few steps before coming to a halt to look around him in confusion.

Kara slowly drifts down to land in front of Lena, first turning to address the unfrozen citizens.

"Don't worry, you're all safe!" Kara calls out across the courtyard, trying to calm the alarmed looks of the people as they tried to figure out had happened. "The freeze gun's effects have worn off, and the gunmen are gone."

Satisfied that no one is going to start panicking again, she turns back to Lena, who is surreptitiously rubbing her arm from her security guard's grip.

"Are you alright?" she asks, stepping up next to her.

Lena lifts her chin slightly, her professional mask slipping into place, even though Kara can see her hands still trembling. "Yes, thank you, Supergirl."

Kara nods, gesturing slightly towards the entrance to L-Corp. "Will you let me escort you to your office?"

"Of course." Lena looks to her bodyguard, who is still hovering uncertainly. "You may go, Leo. Thank you."

The man nods at her in appreciation, touches his fingers to his forehead in a semi-salute towards Kara, then makes off into the lobby.

Kara hovers her hand over the small of Lena's back as she walks her inside, using her super-senses to watch out for any lingering danger. Only when the door to Lena's office is safely closed behind them after one last sweep of the room with her x-ray vision does she let herself relax.

"Some agents will be here in a moment to debrief you," she tells Lena as the other woman walks across the room.

Lena nods as she makes her way behind her desk, crossing her arms as she gazes out the window. Kara watches her, thinking how she always hated the distance that sprung up between them when she was Supergirl instead of plain old Kara. It makes her chest hurt in a way she can't quite place.

After a moment, Lena speaks up. "I supposed I owe you my life thrice over now." She turns to Kara with a rueful smile.

Kara shakes her head, quickly denying, "Oh, no, I mean, you don't owe me any debts. It's what I do."

As soon as the words were out of her mouth she regrets them - they sound so dismissive, like she had saved Lena's life only because it was her job. Lena glances away, her smile fading as she presses her lips together.

Just as Kara is opening her mouth to try to explain, there's a knock at the door. Lena flinches, and Kara quickly uses her x-ray vision to peek through it.

"It's just the agents," she reassures her, opening the door to let Alex and the two agents accompanying her in.

"Hello Supergirl, Miss Luthor," Alex greets as she stepped inside. Lena gives her a nod, but makes no effort to move away from her desk. "Supergirl, have you already done a sweep of the building?"

"Nothing thorough, just checking on things as we came up," Kara reports.

Alex nods to the other two agents, signaling for them conduct the sweep themselves. She waits until the door had closed behind them, then pulls out a tiny field notebook. "Mind if I ask you some questions about what happened this morning?" she asks.

"No, please, have a seat," Lena replies, gesturing to the chairs in front of her desk before sitting in her own.

As the two women move to sit, Kara crosses to the other side of the office, pretending to study the painting hung there. But instead of looking at the art, she stands peering out of the corner of her eye, watching Lena as she speaks. She takes in the way Lena sits with such excellent posture, her legs crossed neatly at her ankles; the way her dark hair falls elegantly across her shoulders; the way her dark red lips forms answers to Alex's questions…

She's pulled from her reverie when Alex and Lena stood, shaking hands over Lena's desk.

"Thank you for your time, Miss Luthor, this information will be helpful in tracking down the men that attacked you."

"Of course. I hope you're able to catch them soon."

Kara strides over to join them as Alex tucks her notebook in one of the pockets on her pants.

"Your best course of action," Alex advises, "would be to lay low for the day, cancel any plans you have -"

"I can't."

The sisters glance at each other, stunned.

"I have a charity auction tonight," Lena continues. "Perhaps you've caught word of it? I've been planning it for weeks. I can't just cancel last minute."

Kara touches a hand to her forehead and takes a step forward. "Miss Luthor, I'm sorry, but this event can't be important enough to risk putting yourself in danger for. Not after everything..."

Lena's eyes grow steely. "My brother is jail. Now so is my mother. I'm the only Luthor left, and I plan to start using that name for good. This event is going to benefit charities all across the city. I won't cancel it just because I'm at risk again."

"Miss Luthor…"

"I'm sorry, Supergirl, that's my decision." Lena crosses her arms, lifting her chin as she holds Kara's gaze.

Alex lays her hand on Kara's arms as she opens her mouth to argue further. "Well if we can't convince you to cancel, will you at least allow Supergirl to go and keep an eye on things?"

Lena's gaze immediately softens. "Of course. I'd be glad to have her."

Kara fights down a blush, instead giving her a stoic nod. "I'll be there."

There's a moment of silence, then Alex clears her throat. "I'm sure you're a busy woman," she says to Lena. "If there's nothing else?"

"No, no, thank you," Lena says, coming out from behind her desk and walking them to the door. "And I'm sure you'd like to start looking for those men."

Opening the door, she looks at Kara once more, her gaze coming from beneath her lashes. "And thank you, Supergirl. I don't think I expressed my gratitude before. I look forward to seeing you tonight."

"Oh, yes, I, um…" Kara stutters. She reaches for glasses that aren't there, instead tucking a curl behind her ear.

She can almost hear Alex's eyes rolling behind her as she puts an arm around her shoulders. "Right. C'mon, Supergirl."

Kara allows herself to be guided from the room, giving one last little wave from her hip as the door swings closed behind them. She gazes through it for a minute, watching as Lena reseated herself at her desk, then turns back to a very exasperated-looking Alex.

"What?" she demands.

Alex just shakes her head and makes her way down the hall towards the elevator.

Kara scampers after her. "Alex, _what?_ "

Back at the DEO, Kara's eyes are starting to cross as blueprint after blueprint for alien weaponry flash on the wall of screens in front of her.

"None of these look familiar to you?" Winn asks, checking over his shoulder for her lack of recognition before scrolling to the next image.

Kara sighs in annoyance and crosses her arms. "Still nothing."

"And you've never seen a gun like that before?" When Kara shoots him a glare, he holds up his hands in surrender. "Sorry, sorry, I've already asked that a bunch of times, I know. It's just that this is taking forever. Maybe if we narrowed the specs a little more…?"

Kara lets out a huff as she drops into a chair. "I've already told you everything I remember. It was big, like, the guy had to hold it with two hands. It had a big blocky end where the power source must have been and a long, skinny nose."

"Barrel," Alex corrects.

Kara waves a hand at her. "That. That's the best description I can give you."

Winn nods, tapping absentmindedly at a key on his keyboard. "What about the power source?"

Kara tilts her head.

"I mean, you said you thought you hit it, right?" Kara nods. "What'd it look like? What made you aim there?"

"Oh." She thinks for a minute. "Well, that was where the light was coming from."

Alex perks up off of the desk she had slouched against. "Light?"

"Yeah," Kara says, her eyes growing animated as she began to remember. "Yeah, there were these, these little rectangular boxes on either side that glowed. They were the same color as the bolts it shot out so I thought that must be what was was powering them."

Winn spins back to his computer, typing rapidly. Within moments he brings up a new spread of blueprints across the wall of screens. "Any of these look -"

"That one!" Kara jabs a finger at the image excitedly.

"Yes!" Winn cheers, pumping a fist in the air. He enlarges the picture and brings up the gun's specs. "And it looks like our winner is… a Malorian temporal rifle." He leans close to his screen to read the information. "Holy crap, these guys had some crazy advanced theories on time energy. It looks like this thing literally freezes time within its target. Or maybe not so much freezes it as sends the target to an alternate temporal plane where time is slowed to an infinitesimal crawl..."

"This has Cadmus written all over it. Mrs. Luthor must not be taking her move to maximum security well," Alex interrupts, her face dark. "I'll go let J'onn know we found the type of weapon. You try to find a way we can track it," she tells Winn.

"Ma'am, yes, ma'am," he says, his brow pulled in fake seriousness as he salutes her, then spins back to his computer, immediately hunching over to type.

Alex rolls her eyes then turns to Kara. "And you'd better get back to your day job."

Kara's eyes widen, and she muffles a groan in the hands that cover her face. "Snapper's gonna kill me for missing the meeting this morning."

Snapper's ire is tempered - slightly - when Kara tells him she had been at L-Corp during the attack and can write him a first-hand account of what had happened.

She manages to write up a decent draft and send it to him, a minor miracle considering how far away her thoughts are. Each time she tries to recall a detail of the attack, all she can think of was the way Lena had twisted as she tried to free herself from the stone grasp of her guard, the whites of her eyes clearly visible as she watched the man with the freeze gun stalk ever closer to her. Her worry for Lena makes the draft take twice as long as it should for her to write - and unfortunately the anxiety doesn't let up as the day goes on. Finally, she can't stand it any longer, and, during her lunch break, climbs to the roof.

She changes quickly in the alleyway across from L-Corp then crosses to the building, calling a greeting to Lena's secretary as she enters.

"Hi, Jess! Is Lena available?"

Jess gives her a guarded once-over, as if worried she'll bolt if she looks away. "She just went on lunch. She'll probably still be up in her office though, she usually just works through it."

Kara nods, feeling a weird mix of concern and fondness. Because constantly working through breaks is bad for you, but oh, if that isn't so Lena.

"Thanks. So I'll just… go up?" she says, pointing up towards Lena's office.

Jess cocks her hip and crosses her arms, frowning slightly. "According to Miss Luthor, I can't exactly stop you."

"O-oh. Okay. Well, um, it was nice seeing you." Kara jabs the elevator button, fidgeting from foot to foot while Jess continues to watch her. When the elevator doors finally ding open, she hurries inside, waving to Jess until they slide closed.

As the elevator hums upwards, Kara tries to craft a convincing argument against holding the charity auction tonight. But even as she wracks her brain for the right words, the elevator halts, depositing her on the top floor. She walks up to Lena's door, taking a few preparatory breaths before knocking.

"Come in," comes Lena's voice, and Kara pushes open the door to find Lena leaning casually against the front of her desk.

"Kara!" she greets warmly as she straightens up and approaches, and Kara's glad she hasn't figured out anything to say, because that grin would have chased it all from her head. "Jess called ahead to say you were coming up. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

As it is, it takes Kara a few tries to get started. "I – uh – there was – I wanted to make sure you were okay." She gestures out the window towards the courtyard. "I was… in the area when the attack happened. _Are_ you okay?"

Lena's eyes soften, and she tilts her head towards her couch. The two women settle onto it before she finally answers, "Yes, I'm fine."

"Really?" Kara asks. "It's fine if you're not, you know, if you're just putting on a brave face. 'Cause you don't have to, with – with me." Her cheeks pink as the last part slips out.

A soft smile spreads across Lena's face, and her hand lands on the cushion just short of Kara's knee. "I know, Kara. So I hope you'll believe me when I say I really am all right."

At Kara's nod, her fingers twitch, and Kara thinks for a moment she might actually move them to her knee before she draws her hand back into her lap. Kara forlornly watches it go. "Good. Now there's something I'd like to ask you."

Kara looks up in surprise when she says, "Would you like to come to the charity auction tonight?" Before she can even answer, she continues, "I'm sorry for asking so last minute, I had just thought…"

Kara tilts her head, forgetting that she's supposed to be talking Lena _out_ of the auction at the other woman's uncharacteristic hesitation. "Thought what?"

Lena glances down briefly and fidgets with her skirt. Bringing her eyes back to Kara's, she admits, "I, well, I was afraid that, with the way the last event I asked you to turned out, you might be… reluctant to accept an invitation from me again."

Though she keeps her voice light and her gaze on Kara's, Kara can see the sadness and uncertainty in her eyes. She blurts, "What? No!"

Blushing as she realizes how much like a rejection that sounds, she scrambles to clarify, "No, I mean, no, I would never think that. You're my friend, Lena. I'd love to spend more time with you."

Lena lets out a soft laugh, tucking a dark lock behind her ear, and Kara's heart gives a jump.

"Good," she says, her shoulders relaxing imperceptibly. "That's… I'm glad to hear. In that case, I'll see you there? It starts at 8 o'clock."

"Oh, um, yeah," Kara said, nodding a little dazedly. "8 o'clock it is."

The women smiled at each other for a moment, until Kara gave a little start. "Oh, I'm sorry, you probably want to get back to your work. I'll, um, I'll get going?"

Lena rose gracefully from the couch and accompanied Kara to the door. "I'm really glad you agreed to come tonight," she says softly. "It honestly does mean a lot to have a true friend at these kinds of events."

Kara just smiles at her, her stomach swooping pleasantly. "Yes, yeah, for sure. So um, you… and me… 8 o'clock?"

Lena laughs, her eyes twinkling. "Yes, and you better not be late."

Kara shakes her head vehemently. "Wouldn't dream of it. Cross my heart," she says, drawing an x over her chest with her finger.

Lena smiles warmly as she opened the door for Kara, leaning a little against its edge.

"Bye, Lena," Kara says, pressing a finger to the side of her glasses before giving a little wave.

"Goodbye, Kara," Lena returns, still smiling at her around the edge of the door as she begins to close it.

"Bye," Kara repeats as she backs away down the hall, keeping her eyes on Lena until the door swings fully closed in front of her. There's a floaty feeling in her chest, and she really wants to just take off through the window, but she manages to make herself wait for the elevator like a regular human.

It isn't until she's descending towards the ground floor that she realizes she had done the exact opposite of what she came there to do. The charity auction is still going on, and now she's expected to be there as both Kara and Supergirl.

Her forehead dents the aluminum wall of the elevator as she drops her head against it with a groan.

"Are you sure you don't need me to run Operation Doubtfire again?" Winn whispers as they wait for the briefing to begin. It's only a few hours before the charity auction begins, and they've been unable to find any leads on the location or identity of Lena's attackers. Now they have to focus their attention on protecting Lena and her guests at her event, and the collected agents wait for J'onn to give them the details of the operation.

"It's much more exclusive than last time," Kara tells him. "I'm not sure I could get you in."

"I could be your plus one?"

Kara crinkles her brow, unable to stop a light blush as she says, "I think I'm _Lena's_ plus one."

Before Winn can respond to that, J'onn walks to the front of the room, causing a hush to fall throughout through the waiting agents.

"As you all know," he begins, "Lena Luthor is once again the target of attempts on her life. And once again, she's decided to hold a public event that will likely be the target of an attack. So here's how tonight is going to go."

The plan is simple. Kara will go as herself, making a fleeting appearance as Supergirl as she had at Lena's last gala, but for the most part surveilling the auction from inside the event. Because the auction is invite-only, none of the other agents will be able to get inside, but will set up a perimeter around the ballroom, keeping an eye out for suspicious activity.

After J'onn finishes with the brief, the agents all scatter to their various posts, and Kara makes her way to the locker room to get ready. She changes quickly, donning a plum purple calf-length dress with a daring scoop in the back, cinched at the waist with a lighter purple ribbon. For her hair she ties a loose braid at the side of her head, leading it back into a low bun.

Alex catches her as she's finishing her hair, a handful of bobby pins held between her lips as she tries to tame her flyaways.

"Shouldn't you just leave those?" she says, propping a hip against the counter next to Kara. "You'll just have to fix them again when you change back and forth, right? Besides," she reaches out for a curl in front of Kara's ear, "they're cute."

Kara takes the bobby pins from her mouth, touching the wispy hairs at her temples as she looks this way and that. "You think?"

Alex raises an eyebrow, barely holding back a smirk. "I think Lena will think so."

"What?" A flush spreads across Kara's cheeks. "I'm not... I mean, that's good, because it's her party, and she invited me, so -"

Taking pity on her, Alex leans over to bump her with her shoulder, Kara swaying obligingly. "Whatever you say, little sis." She pushes off from the counter, making her way back to the locker room door. Turning in the doorway, she says, "I meant it though."

She gestures to her temple, signifying Kara's flyaways, but Kara catches her implied meaning. _About the other thing too_.

Kara smiles at her in the mirror, tucking the bobby pins in her little makeup bag. The time will come when she'll have to examine how good it makes her feel that Lena might like how she looks, but for now... "Thanks, Alex."

A smile quirks the corner of Alex's mouth, and she gives Kara a nod before turning down the hall.

The auction is being held in a historic section of National City, in one of the city's oldest and largest ballrooms. Kara admires the towering stone archways above the doors as the bouncer checks her name against a list of approved guests, praying that they won't be riddled with bullet holes by the night's end. Although Kara knew this was the biggest ballroom in the city, she still isn't fully prepared for the sight of it. Warm, golden hardwood floors stretch across the expanse of the room, meeting creamy white walls. In between the floor and the filigreed ceilings high overhead, a balcony wraps around the room, connecting to a stone counterpart outside. The space is already filled with National City's socialites and elites, their voices creating a low din over the string quintet playing in the corner.

Many are already looking at the items up for auction settled on cloth-covered tables around the perimeter of the room. Though most tables hold displays of jewelry or tickets to events around National City, Kara spots a truly massive 4K TV in one corner, and even - are those Bravak quills?

Kara's distracted from her inspection when a hush falls over the crowd. She follows everyone's gazes to a small raised platform along the back wall, where Lena's now standing in front of a microphone. She's dressed in a deep emerald green dress, the color serving to bring out the green in her pale eyes. The form-fitting silk of the gown clings to her every curve, the high jeweled collar covering her throat but leaving her white shoulders bare.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Lena begins, and Kara closes her mouth, hoping no one had caught her staring. "Welcome to L-Corp's first annual charity auction."

She holds for the polite applause, then continues, "Since our rebranding, L-Corp has worked to become a company focused on improving the lives of our neighbors and fellow citizens with innovation and emerging technologies. In thanks to National City for working with us towards this goal, we wanted to give back to the community. Please feel free to look around at the objects for auction tonight, all of which have been provided by generous donors. All funds raised tonight will go towards various charities across National City, which are detailed in your programs. Let the bidding begin!"

She smiles graciously as she applauds along with the crowd, flashbulbs going off around her. Then she climbs down from the platform, and Kara can see her eyes roaming the crowd.

Kara quickly makes her way over to her, ducking her shoulders and waving as Lena finally catches sight of her.

"Kara! I'm so glad you could make it. I'm sorry I couldn't meet you at the door, I had to make my introductory speech." Lena beams at her when they're finally face to face, her stiletto heels making her just barely taller than Kara.

Kara feels an echoing grin stretch across her cheeks, accompanied by that warm, fuzzy feeling she gets whenever she makes Lena smile for her like she will for no one else.

"That's all right," she says, waving her hand. "It was a very nice speech."

Lena dips her head. "Thank you. So, what do you think?" she asks, gesturing around the ballroom.

Kara lets out a short laugh. "I mean, wow, Lena, this is…"

"Hoity-toity, I know. But I have to give the upper escalons what they want," she says wryly.

"No, I was gonna say amazing," Kara corrects, gazing around her. "I've been to events with Cat, I mean, for CatCo before, but this feels… more grand."

Lena smiled at her and cupped the air near Kara's elbow, gesturing her further into the room. "In that case, I'll try to make it pleasurable for you."

They meandered through the crowd, stopping here or there to talk with a business investor or politician whom Lena recognized. Kara watched Lena as she switched from light banter to serious discussion with ease, playing each conversation to her advantage. Finally, they ended up at the refreshment table, where Lena orders them each a champagne and Kara devours at least half the tiny sandwiches on the display in front of her.

"I'm sorry for all of that," Lena says, her brows drawing contritely. "I said I was going to make this interesting for you, and instead you had to watch me schmooze a bunch of old white men."

Kara struggles to swallow her mouthful of sandwiches, finally getting out, "No, don't worry, it _was_ interesting. You know so many people, it's kind of amazing."

Lena lets out a quiet chuckle, then sets her champagne glass onto the counter. She seems to hesitate for a moment, then holds her palm out towards Kara. "May I?"

Kara stares at it dumbly for a moment before it clicks. "Oh! I - you - You want to dance with me?"

"Yes, if… that's alright, of course." Lena falters, her fingers beginning to curl back on themselves.

Kara grabs her hand before they can. "Yes!" She coughs, tries again a little more calmly. "I mean, yes, that would be great. I'd love to."

Lena beams at her, then draws her out to the middle of the ballroom where couples have already paired off and are waltzing around the floor. She draws in a breath, then guides Kara's hand to her shoulder, slipping her own around Kara's back. Kara feels a frisson of excitement as her cool fingers settle below her shoulder blade, realizing Lena means to take the lead.

They're still for a moment as Lena catches the rhythm, then away they spin, merging into the flow of dancing couples. Kara finds she can hardly catch her breath, not with Lena's bright eyes so close, her shoulder soft under her hand. She lets out a peal of laughter as Lena spins her once, twice, ending the dance pink-cheeked and breathing hard.

Lena lets go of her as soon as the music ended, but Kara knows it isn't from regret when she drops an adorable curtsey to her, smiling widely. Kara mimics her with another giggle, and they slip off the dance floor and draw back to the fringes of the ballroom.

"You dance very well, for never having been to a fancy ball before," Lena compliments as they walk along the row of display tables.

Kara reaches out to fiddle with a necklace on display to keep Lena from seeing the way her cheeks darken. "Oh, well, thank you."

They amble in silence for a moment before Kara points upwards towards the balcony.

"Want to go outside? It's so nice tonight, we could get some air…" Kara offers, giving Lena a crooked smile.

Lena returns it, leading her up the spiral staircase at the corner of the room and out into the night air. As they lean against the high stone ledge, Lena props her chin on her hand, letting out a soft sigh.

"National City is beautiful at night," she says.

Kara hums, joining Lena in staring out at the twinkling lights of the city around them, its residents making their way here and there on the road below them. "I love the city at night. I love to listen to all of its sounds - or," she stutters, "the sounds from the street outside my apartment, because that's the only part I can hear."

"That's funny, I wouldn't have pegged you for a night owl." Lena pins her with a playful, appraising look.

"Oh, well, sometimes my um, job keeps me up late." Not a complete lie - superheroing does cause her to keep some odd hours.

"Staying up to keep those deadlines?" Lena teases.

Kara fidgets with one of the loose curls on her neck. "Ha. Yeah. That."

Speaking of superheroing - Kara suddenly realizes she has yet to make her appearance as Supergirl.

"Do you want something to drink?" she asks, already backing towards the door. "I'll go get some drinks. Is there punch?"

Lena turns to lean her back against the ledge, watching Kara retreat. She tilts her head apologetically. "Sorry, I don't think I ordered punch."

"Right, duh, this isn't high school prom. I'll get more champagne." Kara spins around, barely avoiding the door frame, and ducks into the ballroom.

Within moments, Supergirl floats gently down to hover on the opposite side of the ledge from Lena. She's still watching the door where Kara had disappeared, so Kara takes a second to get into her pose - hands on hips, one knee cocked - before clearing her throat lightly.

"Oh!" Lena whirls around, one hand going to her collarbone. "Supergirl, you startled me."

"I'm sorry," Kara apologizes. She drifts over the top of the ledge, touching down a few feet away from Lena. "I just wanted to check in with you."

Lena nods, straightening and clasping her hands in front of her. "Yes, I was beginning to wonder if you were actually coming or not." Her tone is playful, but with just an edge of chill that has Kara regretting her lack of attention.

"I've been here," Kara tells her, "just, keeping out of the way. It looked like you were having… fun. I didn't want to interrupt."

She could have sworn she sees a barely-there blush slide over Lena's cheeks as she responds, "Yes, it has been a nice evening."

The corners of Lena's lips turn up as a faraway look comes into her eyes, and Kara hates to ruin it by asking, but Supergirl's there for a reason, so… "Have you seen any sign of your attackers?"

Sure enough, Lena's smile falls away, her lips drawing into a thin line. "Not yet."

"My people haven't seen them yet, either. But I assure you, if they show their faces here, we will stop them," Kara says, conviction coloring her tone.

"You're so earnest," Lena says with a tilt of her head, and Kara can't entirely tell if her tone is scornful or fond.

There's a booming crash below them, the high-pitched whine of an energy discharge, and then the screaming starts.

Both women's heads whip towards the ballroom, where they can see the crowd below begin to scatter in panic. Somehow, it's Lena that moves before Kara, stepping towards the balcony door with her hand outstretched.

"Kara!"

She doesn't get farther than that one step before Kara zips in front of her, blocking the doorway. "Don't worry, I've got her," she promises, feeling odd about speaking about herself like this. "Stay here."

She lingers just long enough to catch Lena's small nod, then throws herself through the door and straight over the balcony, landing hard, knees bent, fist down, but holding herself back from cracking the historic floorboards.

Rising, she takes in the scene: frozen partygoers, in a thick cluster near the door, which was now flung wide, then thinning as the attackers made their way into the ballroom. There are only three of them this time, the leader flanked by two subordinates - manageable, Kara thinks, until her eyes land on the temporal rifle the leader still carried. Kara can't stop her eyes from widening as she takes in the curling wires protruding from the power cells, welded sporadically and looking about as stable as a child's homemade creation.

"What did you _do_ to it?" she asks, unable to keep the apprehension from her voice.

The leader grins maliciously and hefts the weapon in his hands. "You like? I made some upgrades. Should be able to take even you on, now."

The grin fades, and he levels the gun at her. She just manages to spin out of the way, feeling the cold heat of the freeze ray as it flew past her. A rush of dismay and guilt floods through her as it hits a group of civilians clustered behind her, freezing them all. From what she had seen that morning, the gun had only affected the specific person it had hit. It looks like the leader has managed to boost the freeze gun's power, after all.

Kara looks at the guests cowering against the walls and behind the tables around her. "Run! Go!" she calls to them, and they flee along the edges of the ballroom. She fires two quick beams of her laser vision when the lackeys turned their guns to follow them, making them drop the white-hot weapons.

The leader fires his rifle at her, then again, and she ducks and weaves to avoid the boosted beams. Too wary to use her laser vision against the monstrosity he had made the weapon, she knows she has to disarm him somehow, and quickly. But that's easier said than done as he keeps up a constant barrage of fire.

"Where is she, Supergirlie?" the leader bellows as she throws herself into the air. "Where's the Luthor?"

Kara flies even further away from the balcony door, keeping his attention from it and praying Lena won't do anything stupid. "She's under my protection, and you're not getting to her!"

She swoops down at him, but he manages to get the rifle up just in time, firing a shot straight into her stomach. It slings her back, historic plaster crumbling around her shoulders as she slams into the wall.

She has a brief second to feel bad about it before there comes a stuttered whining sound, like a car battery trying to turn over, and Kara's eyes widen to saucers because oh Rao, it's coming from the mangled gun. She pushes off from the wall, flings herself towards the man, but she's too late - an orb of blue-white light explodes from the disintegrating gun, and she's hurled back, her back slamming into…

Concrete? For a second, Kara's mind blanks out with pain and confusion, the air punched from her lungs, unable to figure out where she is. She's outside, and it's day, and there are -

Gunshots pop nearby, bullets pinging off her prone body, and she rolls instinctively, bringing her cape up to shield herself. As she kneels there, cape pulled over her head, she looks frantically around, trying to figure out what's _happened_. It's then that she catches sight of a man frozen in mid-motion, coffee spilling in a motionless crescent from his hand.

The same man from that morning. With the same coffee. She looks around further - she's in L-Corp's courtyard, frozen figures surrounding her, lances of blue-white light flashing sporadically.

It hits her then. Whatever that man had done to bastardize the temporal rifle, it had caused it to malfunction, and malfunction spectacularly. Spectacularly enough to punch Kara straight back through time.


	2. Chapter 2

Kara's glad she's kneeling, or else she would have staggered, her stomach swooping and her mind reeling as she tries to comprehend it. Time travel. Actual, real-life time travel. It's like something out of a B movie sci-fi film, except there's no denying it's actually happening. She's back at that morning, ducking the same bullets from the same four gunmen while the fifth goes after…

Lena! Peeking around the edge of her cape, she can just make out the leader stalking towards the far end of the courtyard, where Lena's wrestling against her security guard's grip.

The sight of the other woman's struggles finally spur Kara into action, and she wheels out from under her cape to face the men. The one on the far left springs forward first, just as he had before, and Kara lets him run straight towards her before grabbing fistfuls of his shirt and lifting him high in an arc over her head, slamming him back down face-first into the ground. The second man's on her as she turns around, and she drives her fist into his stomach. As he bends in half, all the air whooshing from his lungs, she brings a knee up into his face, then her joined fists down onto his back, making him drop like a sack of potatoes.

The other men have already turn tail and run by the time she looks up. She springs over the sprawled bodies of the unconscious gunmen, sprinting towards the leader before she focuses her laser vision on him and blasts the gun in his hands.

She almost forgets about the returning gunman until she feels the patter of bullets on her back. Taking to the air, she quickly turns his shots back on himself, dropping him once more.

She's almost relieved when the leader once again disappears into the getaway van, because it means a least she at least still kept him from Lena.

The courtyard unfreezes once more, and Kara calms the civilians before landing beside Lena.

"You're okay?" she confirms. She touches Lena's bicep where she has been rubbing at it, her fingers brushing lightly over her skin. But then Lena stiffens, just slightly, and Kara immediately pulls away, remembers she's on duty and that, for Lena at least, they haven't just walked off a dance floor hand in hand.

Lena quickly slides on her professional mask. She lifts her chin slightly, hiding her trembling hands behind her back. "Yes, thank you, Supergirl."

Ignoring the clench in her chest and turning to the bodyguard, Kara says, "I'll escort her up to her office, Leo, if… that's okay?" Kara looks back towards Lena for her permission, missing how startled he looks that Supergirl knows his name.

"Of course," Lena grants. "You may go, Leo. Thank you."

He nods to her, lets his fingers linger at his forehead as he salutes to Kara, then heads towards the lobby, glancing back briefly before disappearing inside.

Kara lets her hands hang at her sides as she walks Lena inside, trying not to crowd her, even though her fingers tingle with how close she is. Although she knows it's clear, she does one last sweep with her x-ray vision around Lena's office before shepherding the woman inside and closing the door behind them.

She watches as Lena takes up position behind her desk, the sleek white surface as expansive as any ocean dividing them. The ache in her chest springs up with a vengeance.

"I suppose I owe you my life thrice over now." Lena finally turns towards her with that rueful smile.

Kara's been waiting for that, trying to figure out a better way to express her thoughts to Lena, to prevent that wounded look she had caused the first time they had this conversation. "You don't owe me anything. I wanted to save you."

Lena's arms slide from their fold, and she looks at Kara with… well, she looks confused. Like what Kara said doesn't make sense.

Before she can puzzle that out, there comes a knock at the door, causing Lena to flinch. Kara doesn't need her x-ray vision to assure her, "It's just the agents here to debrief you." She steps over to the door, admitting Alex and the two other agents.

Alex dismisses the others to do their sweep of the building, then she and Lena sit down at her desk for Lena's debriefing.

Kara takes up her place near Lena's painting, still watching Lena as she speaks. But now her mind is full of string quintets and spinning and Lena's soft, cool skin under her fingers…

She's once more yanked from daydreaming when Alex and Lena rise from their conversation. She joins them just as Alex tries to caution, "Your best course of action would be to lay low for the day, cancel any plans you have -"

Lena's voice is just as firm a second time. "I can't."

Alex shoots a stunned look at Kara, who does her best to return it, although the news is no longer news to her.

"I have a charity auction tonight," Lena continues. "Perhaps you've caught word of it? I've been planning it for weeks. I can't just cancel last minute."

Kara takes a step forward, unable to help herself. "Miss Luthor, please, don't put your safety at risk for this, not after everything..."

"My brother is jail. Now so is my mother." Now that the words aren't coming as such as shock, Kara notices how Lena's hands are pressed in tight fists against her sides. "I'm the only Luthor left, and I plan to start using that name for good. This event is going to benefit charities all across the city. I won't cancel it just because I'm at risk again."

Kara tries again. "Miss Luthor…"

"I'm sorry, Supergirl, that's my decision."

Alex lays her hand on Kara's shoulder. "Well if we can't convince you to cancel, will you at least allow Supergirl to go and keep an eye on things?"

"Of course. I'd be glad to have her."

Lena's soft gaze doesn't fail to make her melt, but Kara keeps her nod serious as she says, "I'll be there."

Alex excuses them, and Kara can't stop a soft sigh from escaping her lips as she watches Lena through the door once more. This time, she's prepared for Alex's eye roll when she turns back around, and just gives her a light shove. "Quit that."

Unfortunately her pout ruins the whole effect, and Alex just ends up laughing as they make their way down the corridor.

She debates the merits of faking like she doesn't know what the weapon is and going through blueprint upon blueprint again, just to make sure she doesn't mess with the past. But really, what is she, some kind of saint? She can't go through that again. Plus, it'll give the DEO extra time to search for the gun and the man who tried to wield it.

"It's a Malorian temporal rifle," Kara tills Winn.

"Sounds intense," he says as he turns to his computer to bring the specs up. "So you've seen one before?"

Kara fidgets. "You could say that."

As he exclaims over the rifle's abilities, she can't help but ask, "Would boosting the power of one make it possible for someone to use it for time travel?" At twin surprised glances, she adds, "Hypothetically."

Winn scratches the back of his head. "I don't know, I don't think they're built like that. But hypothetically, if you messed with one enough, I suppose the energy could be used do some wacky time travel stuff."

Alex and Winn look at each other, and Kara can see in their eyes they're about to ask why, and she knows she can't come up with a good enough lie, so she blurts, "We should tell J'onn Cadmus is behind this."

"You know, I was thinking the same thing," Alex says, her brow furrowing. "I'll go talk to him."

She stalks away, and Kara and Winn watch her for a moment before he turns back to her with a quirked eyebrow. Thankfully, she has an easy excuse to escape.

"I have to run, it's Snapper, I have a meeting and if I really push it…"

Winn's eyes widen in sympathetic panic. "Go, go." He flaps his hands at her, shooing her away.

With a sigh of relief, she jogs out of the building, taking off and making it to CatCo just in time for Snapper to call the journalists to order.

Snapper's still angry; she might as well have just missed the meeting again for how far away her thoughts are. But the promise of a first-hand account of the attack works again, and she does her best to write it from memory as precisely as only problem is that she had been distracted when she wrote it the first time, and is now even more discomposed by the brain-liquifying knowledge that she's in the past. The draft ends up taking just as long as the first time she wrote it, and she feels like she's itching out of her skin by the time she throws herself off the roof at lunch time.

As she flies, she argues with herself over whether actually trying to stop Lena from throwing the charity auction is a good idea. But she's already changed one thing, so why not another?

She doesn't change back into her regular clothes this time, instead landing on Lena's balcony in full Supergirl gear. Maybe a little distance will help her stay focused enough to talk Lena out of the auction. And since Supergirl's already going, she can't derail her concentration by springing an invitation on her.

She pushes through the glass door, her hands going to her hips as Lena spins to face her.

"Supergirl!" she exclaims, hopping to her feet. She smiles, red lips framing dazzling white teeth. "Twice in one day, this is a surprise."

Kara nods to her, wandering further into the office as she gathers her thoughts. She doesn't quite look at Lena as she says, "I came to see if you'd changed your mind about the auction."

Lena's eyes grow steely as her smile fades. "I've already told you my decision."

"But Miss Luthor," and even though she's not quite looking, she still catches Lena's slight flinch at the name, "it's dangerous. Your life is at risk."

Lena flicks her wrist in a careless gesture. "If I canceled my plans every time I got a death threat I'd never leave my apartment. This is nothing I can't handle."

Kara frowns at that, but continues. "I know I've helped you before, and I know you're more than capable of taking care of yourself, but it would make me feel a lot better if you weren't in danger at all."

Lena chuckles mirthlessly, folding her arms across her chest. "It would make your life a lot easier, wouldn't it."

Now Kara does turn to face her, her arms dropping from her hips. "That's not the point. Miss Luthor, I don't want to see you hurt. I hope you can recognize by now that I… respect you." She stumbles at the end of the sentence, almost saying something inappropriate. Something like "I like you." Something that feels like a little bit more than "like."

Lena must catch her hesitation, because she seems unconvinced, her mouth slanting in a hard line. "Be that as it may be, I still refuse to cancel this charity auction. There's so much good that can be achieved from it."

Kara huffs in frustration, pacing a few feet away before turning back. "I feel like I don't understand. You've already saved the city! Everyone knows you turned Lillian in. There's nothing else you need to prove."

Lena laughs again, and it's colder than the air above the clouds. "Are you really so naive? To much of the public, turning my mother in means almost nothing. It could be a ruse, or some kind of plot. To them, my name precludes all." She turns away to look out the wide windows, her arms tight across her chest. "So yes, there is more to prove. There's everything to prove."

Kara takes a step forward, raises her hand, hesitates. What can she say, really? Because Lena's right. There's a segment of the population - a large one, no matter how Kara wishes otherwise - that only sees Lena's last name. That judge her by her family's actions instead of her own.

But she has to try. "I know I can't really understand what your life is like. But I do know that there are people in this city, good people, that realize that you're trying to move L-Corp in the right direction. The donors and guests involved in the charity auction must see that, and want to help the city just as much as you do, right? Don't you want to protect their safety, if not your own?"

Lena's shoulders tighten as she looks out the window, and Kara immediately realizes it was the wrong thing to say.

"This morning's events are already all over the news," Lena tersely tells the cityscape. "My guests will be able to figure out the risk of attending an event held by myself. Either they'll come or they won't. Most them will, though, for the sick thrill of being near someone who attracts so much danger."

"Maybe some, but I'm sure that won't be the majority. Most of them will be there for charity, so they'll understand if you have to put the auction off."

Lena finally looks over her shoulder, letting her head fall back slightly in a way that Kara recognizes all too well from Cat, a movement that looks lazy but is nothing if not keen and calculated. "You don't have much experience in the corporate world, do you? That's not how these types of things work."

She spins on her heel and steps over to the door to her balcony. "I'm sorry, Supergirl, but I'm not in the mood to explain the minutiae of my position to you. I've made my decision."

Kara understands the dismissal for what it is. After a moment's hesitation, she gives a terse nod. Striding over to the door, she pauses a moment as she's about to pass Lena.

"Even though I don't agree with what you're doing, Miss Luthor," she says quietly, "I'll still be there tonight. I meant what I said this morning. I want to protect you."

With that, she steps out onto the balcony and into the sky.

When she gets back to CatCo, Kara alternates between going through the multitude of edits Snapper suggested on her article and beating herself up over how awfully her conversation with Lena had gone. She had wanted to protect Lena, and all she had managed to do was make her angry and herself frustrated. She picks apart every word, trying to understand.

One comment she keeps getting stuck on is when Lena said Kara didn't understand how the corporate world works. It's not true, although Lena would have no idea she had learned the ins and outs of a CEO's position while at Cat Grant's beck and call. And yet, she finds that she doesn't really understand why the guests would be upset if the event was postponed or canceled, other than a lost opportunity for fundraising and a slight inconvenience in scheduling.

Kara thinks about it, and finally a realization hits her: networking. That's what this event really is to the majority of the guests, and likely the donors. Sure, there are those who would appreciate the true charitable, good nature of the event and support Lena's cause. Others would see it as a way to boost their reputations. But all would recognize it for the opportunity to build business relationships. After all, hadn't that been her job as Cat's assistant, when planning all her functions? To set up the interactions that would be the most advantageous to her boss? Hadn't she watched Cat doing the same kind of deceptive dance, the same subtle push and pull of information disguised as party chatter?

She knows through her experience as Cat's assistant that connections are worth almost more than gold in the business world. And breaking them can be disastrous. Especially for a newly appointed CEO of a company fighting to get from beneath an unsavory reputation.

Kara puts her head in her hands with a heavy sigh, feeling like a total jerk. If she's trying to get Lena to trust her as Supergirl, being incredibly dense isn't the best way to do it.

As she sits with her elbows on the desktop, hands covering her face, a knock comes from the open door. "Kara?"

Kara's head whips up at the voice. There, standing in her doorway, smiling a slightly hesitant crooked smile, is Lena.

Kara's too surprised to do much more than blink at her for a moment.

"Lena!" she cries, unable to fight the grin forming on her face as she scrambles out of her seat. She hurriedly gestures Lena inside, pointing her to one of the small chairs she had set up in the corner and dropping into the other. "Hi! I- You're in my office!"

Lena smiles at her, the glances around the room. "I went looking for you in the journalism department and they directed me up here. This is a cute little space."

"Oh, thank you." Kara blushes and adjusts her glasses. She had done her best to brighten up the small room with colorful artwork and flowering plants. She had even gotten one of those pink rock salt lamps. "Miss Grant gave me this office before she took her sabbatical. I wouldn't mind your wall of windows though," she added, gesturing to the four very windowless walls.

They share a laugh before quieting back down. There's a moment of silence as Lena lets her eyes roam around the office, but it's not as awkward as Kara might have expected.

Finally, Kara speaks up. "Um, is there something wrong? I mean, of course there is, I was there, when the…" She moves her hands, miming shooting lasers and flying figures until she stops with a flush, realizing she's not using her words. "Anyway, I meant, are you doing okay?"

She shuffles forward in her chair until their knees are almost touching, putting on her best listening face. Maybe if she's as supportive as she can be now, it'll make up a little for being so brusque before.

Lena gives her a soft smile. "Yes, I'm fine."

Her knee moves against Kara's, a barely-there brush before moving away that's probably purely accidental, but it sends a flutter through Kara's belly anyway.

"Okay, if you're sure," she says. "But even if you're not - sure, that is, or not okay - you know you can talk to me, right?"

"I know, Kara. So I hope you'll believe me when I say I really am all right."

Kara nods, and Lena's smile grows a little nervous. "I came to see you because there's something I'd like to ask you."

Kara looks up. In her fixation on her earlier conversation, she had totally forgotten about Lena asking Kara-her to go to the auction.

"Would you like to come to the charity auction tonight? I'm sorry for asking so last minute, I had just thought…"

"Did you think I'd say no?"

Lena fidgets briefly with the visitor's badge clipped to her blouse before admitting, "I, well, I was afraid that, with the way the last event I asked you to turned out, you might be… reluctant to accept an invitation from me again."

Kara leans forward, telling her earnestly, "Lena, you're my friend. I always love to spend time with you."

If the word "love" trips a little heavily from her tongue, she pretends not to notice.

"Good," Lena says. Kara watches as her shoulders relax, her hands stilling in her lap. "That's… I'm glad to hear. In that case, I'll see you there? It starts at 8 o'clock."

"Okay, yeah, 8 o'clock it is."

There's another moment of silence as they smile at each other. There's something about Lena that makes all the tumult that usually surrounds Kara, the noise and bustle of the city that she can always hear in the background, just fade away. It's peaceful, and Kara finds she doesn't want it to end, so she asks, "Do you want to stay here for a bit?"

"I wish I could, but I really do need to be getting back to work," Lena tells her apologetically.

"Oh, of course, no problem."

Neither of them move for a second, until with a barely-there sigh Lena rises to her feet.

"I'm really glad you agreed to come tonight," she says softly as they cross to the door. "It honestly does mean a lot to have a true friend at these kinds of events."

The butterflies start up again as Kara says. "Of course. I - I wouldn't miss it."

Before she can stop herself, she reaches out to Lena's shoulder, dusting her fingers down her arm before quickly pulling them back.

"Bye, Lena," she whispers.

She's probably imagining things, by Lena's voice sounds a little breathless when she replies, "Goodbye, Kara."

She goes through the door, and Kara watches her walk down the hall until she turns the corner out of sight.

"Bye," Kara sighs, then returns to her desk to put the finishing touches on her article.

Kara fidgets through the briefing, then hurries down to the locker rooms to change into her dress. Alex walks in as Kara is putting the finishing touches on her hair, trying to get her now-purposeful flyaways to curl this way or that.

As Alex leans her hip against the counter, Kara turns her head from side to side, asking, "Do you think my hair looks nice?"

The corner of Alex's mouth quirks up, and she raises a brow as she pretends to look Kara over. "I think Lena will think so."

Kara thought she would be more prepared for the insinuation this time, but instead it just makes her blush harder than ever. "She - we're - I'm not -"

Alex can't entirely stifle a laugh as she bumps Kara with her shoulder. "Whatever you say, little sis."

Kara flushes through the rest of her teasing - and her tacit support - then hurries out of the DEO and to the ballroom. The heavy arched doors now look ominous instead of striking, and she can't help but look around anxiously as the bouncer checks her name from his list.

As she enters, she does a quick scan to make sure everything is as she remembers - quintet in their corner, socialites scattered across the floor, fancy baubles on velvet tablecloths lining the walls - before the crowd grows silent and Lena steps up to the microphone.

Kara is struck again by the elegance of this woman, her silky hair tied up in a sleek coiffure, the dress hugging her slender curves, her creamy pale shoulder where Kara's hand had rested just hours ago - at least for her. She starts weaving her way through the crowd before Lena even fully finishes her speech, wanting to greet her as soon as she comes down off the platform.

Lena catches sight of her as she turns away from the microphone, a smile blooming across her lips. Kara's heart gives a painful thud before Lena picks her way down the steps at the edge of the stage in her heels.

"Kara!" she greets. "I'm so glad you could make it. I'm sorry I couldn't meet you at the door, I had to make my introductory speech."

Kara waves her explanation away with a grin. "No it's okay. It was very good."

"Thank you." Gesturing around the ballroom, Lena asks, "So, what do you think?"

"It's wonderful, Lena," Kara tells her, following her gaze out to the mingling crowd. "I've been to events and galas before for Cat, but this is…" She looks back at Lena, a her stomach swooping when she catches pale green eyes. "This is something else."

Lena guides her further into the ballroom, her fingers barely brushing the skin of Kara's elbow. "In that case, I'll try to make it pleasurable for you."

They only get a few steps before Kara realizes she should really put in an appearance as Supergirl before she forgets like last time.

"I saw you have a bar," she says, thumbing in its direction. "Do you want something? I figure you don't have punch."

Lena laughs. "Sorry, I don't think I ordered punch. But some champagne would be lovely."

"Great, I'll be right back."

Kara squeezes away through the crowd, then down a back hallway until she finds a small supply closet to change in. In no time she's in full regalia and swooping in through the door to the balcony.

She gently drifts down next to Lena, who's in conversation with another businessman. They both glance up in surprise when her feet touch down.

"Hope you don't mind if I interrupt," she says, sparing the man only a passing glance before fixing her eyes on Lena.

Lena simply lifts one eyebrow. "Supergirl."

Kara winces internally at the cool reception. "Miss Luthor. I just wanted to thank you for inviting me. I know that this auction means a lot to you, and I realize how much good you can achieve from it."

It seems like Lena catches the echo of their disastrous conversation, the apology Kara is trying to make, because her face softens and she gives a small nod.

"I'm glad you were able to make it."

"You may not see me much tonight, but I'll be around, keeping an eye on things." Kara tells her, settling her hands on her hips. "Making sure it doesn't get too… rowdy."

At the sorry attempt at a joke, Kara swears she sees the corner of Lena's lips curl up, just slightly, and it makes her heart soar.

Finally turning to the businessman standing beside them, she tells him, with as much sincerity as she can muster, "I hope you realize what a good business relation you have in Miss Luthor. She and L-Corp are going to go far."

He looks at her with the proper amount of awe, nodding vigorously. She gives them both a nod as she turns and takes back off.

She whizzes back into her dress and hurries to the bar to grab two flutes of champagne before returning to Lena's side.

"Oh, Kara! There you are. You just missed Supergirl again, you know."

"Did I?" Kara tries her best to look disappointed. "Oh jeez, I have the worst timing."

Lena takes one of the champagne flutes, raising it in a toast to the man before turning away. Kara follows her as she makes her rounds through the room, admiring all over again how truly good Lena is at playing the corporate game. They end back up at the refreshment table, where Kara takes it a little more easy on the mini sandwiches, her limbs tingling in expectation for what Lena is about to ask.

Finally, Lena sets her champagne glass onto the counter and holds out a hesitant hand towards Kara. "May I?"

"Yes," Kara says immediately, taking her hand and almost pulling Lena towards the dance floor in her excitement.

Lena lets out a laugh, tugging on Kara's hand a bit until she lets her take the lead. She gets them into position, her hand settling at Kara's shoulder blade, and Kara's stomach swoops in memory as well as anticipation.

The waltz is just as thrilling and breathtaking as it was the first time around, and Kara can't help but be hyper-aware of Lena's slender fingers against her back, her hand in hers firmly yet gently leading the way. She can't stop the bright peal of laughter as Lena spins her to a stop, her eyes fixing on Lena's lovely green ones.

Lena once again lets go as soon as the music ends, though this time Kara catches her fingers in a light squeeze before they fully slip away. She can't be sure, but she thinks she catches a light blush on Lena's cheeks as they curtsey to each other and step away from the dance floor.

"You dance very well, for never having been to a fancy ball before," Lena compliments as they make their way along the edge of the ballroom.

Kara ducks her head before looking back up at Lena with a shy smile. "Oh, well, thank you."

As they meander past the tables of items for auction, anxiety begins to churn in Kara's gut. She knows that it's growing closer to when the attackers show up, and she still hasn't formed any sort of plan for dealing with that temporal rifle.

She tries to go over her previous fight, to figure out where she could have done something different, but all she can think of is the woman by her side. It's totally irrational, but she can't stop thinking about how the leader had shouted at her to reveal Lena, frenetic hate shining in his eyes. She needs to get Lena out of there, or she knows she won't be able to focus on anything else all night.

"Want to go outside?" Kara asks, pointing towards the balcony. "It's so nice tonight, we could get some air…"

Lena nods, and they make their way up and out to the terrace. As they lean against the ledge, admiring the view, Kara tries to keep her nervous energy contained, but Lena must notice, because she asks, "Is something wrong?"

"What? Oh, no, I just," Kara thinks fast, trying to find a good excuse. She's already used the drinks one tonight… "I just need to use the restroom. I'm sorry, I'll be right back."

"No, that's fine. I'll be right here." Lena smiles warmly at her, and Kara feels the knot of anxiety in her chest loosen just slightly as she returns it.

It returns full force as soon as she makes her way back inside, and she slips into her Supergirl suit and back outside as quickly as she can.

As soon as she draws level with the balcony, she calls out to Lena, causing her to whirl around from where she had been gazing at the empty doorway.

"Oh! Supergirl, you startled me."

"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I have bad news." Lena's face grows pale. "We've received word that a group of your attackers are headed this way. I need to get you out of here."

Lena turns to look back at the door. "But, Kara -"

"I'll come back for her, I promise. But I need to get you to safety first."

Kara floats over the railing and holds out her arms towards Lena, unwilling to violate her boundaries even now. Lena hesitates a moment, looking back towards the ballroom one more time, before nodding and stepping forward. Putting one arm behind her back and another under her knees, Kara scoops her up into her arms.

She wishes she could take a moment to savor this - Lena's form in her arms, the warm weight of her against her body, Lena's arms coming to wrap around her neck - but instead she only murmurs, "Hold on," before leaping back over the edge of the balcony.

She finds where Alex's squad is stationed fairly quickly and gently sets Lena down in front of her sister.

"Look after her."

Alex looks at her, her brow drawn in confusion. "Supergirl, what -"

With her super-hearing she catches the sounds of screams and the high whine of the temporal rifle. "They're already there."

Lena lets out a gasp and takes a step forward, but Alex catches her shoulder.

"Keep her safe," Kara tells her, then kicks back into the sky, racing back to the ballroom.

She dives through the door leading from the balcony and sticks a three-point landing right in front of the trio of gunmen. The sight of the jury-rigged gun still makes her shudder, this time with the added knowledge of what it can do when it goes wrong.

"You really shouldn't have messed with that," she tells the leader.

He leers at her as he gives it a heft. "You like? I made some upgrades. Should be able to take even you on, now."

She ducks away from his first shot, gesturing to the civilians still clustered behind her. "Run! Go!"

Taking the two flanking gunmen out with her laser-vision, she turns her attention to the leader. She tries to duck in close, to snatch the weapon from his hands, but he keeps up a steady stream of fire, and she has to focus most of her attention on just avoiding the beams.

"Where is she, Supergirlie?" he yells, firing shot after shot even as she leaps into the air. "Where's the Luthor?"

"Not here, jerk!" Kara yells back. "You're just gonna have to deal with me."

She continues to dip and dodge, keeping an eye out for - there! an opening.

She plunges down towards him, reaching out for the gun, when it emits a stuttered whining sound.

"No!" she cries, but even as she wrenches it from the man's hand, it explodes in a ball of blue-white light.


	3. Chapter 3

Her back hits concrete for the third time that – can it still be considered a day if this is her third attempt? Technically she's never made it to midnight… Rao her brain hurts.

She hauls herself to her feet, largely ignoring the bullets pinging off her chest. The first attacker runs at her, and she pinwheels him over her head before spinning to take down the second. The other two sprint away, and she springs into the air, keeping her eyes trained on the lead assailant as she tries to figure out what to do.

Obviously trying to not change the past doesn't work, because here she is again. Should she try to take out the other two men, to prevent them from escaping in their van? Or should she try to take out the leader?

Her decision is made for her when she sees him begin to charge up the temporal rifle, the sides glowing brighter and brighter. Kara hears Lena let out a small noise of distress, her eyes flitting desperately between her and the attacker.

Immediately twisting into a dive, Kara lands in front of her, flinging her cape out wide to deflect the freeze ray just in time. She moves to sweep her cape out of the way and give chase as she hears his footsteps pound away, only to find that her cape doesn't budge.

Glancing briefly at Lena, whose eyes are still wide, she tugs on the cape again. Nothing. It stays stiff as a board, spread wide in a semi-circle behind her. The freeze ray must have been able to affect it, freezing it into place. She fumbles with the catches attaching it to her suit, finally freeing herself – just in time to she the attackers' van disappear around the corner.

"Crap," she mutters.

The pedestrians around her come unfrozen, and her cape flumps to the ground. Lena's still staring at her, looking a little bewildered.

"Not my most heroic moment, I'll admit," Kara says to her as she bends to retrieve her cape.

Lena lets out a startled laugh, her hand coming up to rub unconsciously at her bicep. Kara reattaches her cape and calms the crowd of confused bystanders, then steps over to Lena.

"Are you alright?" She holds out a hand hesitantly towards where Lena is rubbing her arm, silently asking permission.

"Yes, thank you, Supergirl." Lena's professional mask slips over her face, but then softens slightly. She gives a small nod towards Kara's outstretched fingers.

Kara lightly lays her fingertips on Lena's skin, examining her upper arm. There are red marks circling it from her security guard's stony grip, but it doesn't look too bad.

"It might bruise," she murmurs, letting her hand fall. "Does it hurt?"

"I'm okay," Lena tells her, her smile small but genuinely grateful.

Kara nods, knowing it's not her job right now to get too concerned or pushy. "Will you let me escort you to your office? If you wouldn't mind me taking over for Leo here."

She turns towards the bodyguard, acknowledging his shocked look with a wink.

"Of course. You may go, Leo. Thank you." Lena nods to him, and he gives Kara a salute before making his way into the building.

Feeling emboldened by Lena's acceptance of her touch before, Kara holds out her elbow to the other woman. "If I may?"

Lena regards her for a moment, then rest her hand in the crook of Kara's arm, giving her a crooked smile. "How galant."

Kara returns the smile with one of her own. "A hero's work is never done."

She walks Lena up to her office, her scan of the room mostly for show, to reassure Lena of her safety. She lets Lena slip away from her and across the room, allowing her time to process what had just happened in the courtyard.

"I supposed I owe you my life several times over now."

Kara thinks back to Lena's odd reaction the last time they had this conversation, and decides to take it one step further.

"You deserve to be saved, Miss Luthor." Lena looks startled, and her brows draw together. Kara continues, "Not even because of all the good you've done for National City. Because _you_ are a _good person_."

"I-I…"

Lena's attempt at a response gets cut off by the knock at the door, causing her to flinch. Kara reassures her and opens the door to admit Alex.

As Alex conducts Lena's debriefing, Kara stares at the screen on her wall, not really seeing it as thoughts swirl in her head. She thinks about the fear in Lena's eyes when she thought Kara was still in the ballroom with the attackers. She thinks about her steely insistence that she still hold the charity auction despite the danger. She thinks about how confused she seems when she's told she deserves to live.

"Thank you for your time, Miss Luthor," she hears, turning back towards the desk to watch Alex and Lena rise and shake hands.

It takes a bit of work to mold her face into a surprised expression when Lena refused to cancel her event, that being the main focus of her thoughts over the past two… repeats? She'll call them repeats.

She manages to force herself not to linger as she and Alex leave the office, although she does fall a bit behind her sister as they go down the hall, her eyes still trained on Lena.

Since it now seems that this is a time loop instead of a more simple I-was-thrown-back-in-time event, Kara figures the more things she changes, the better. While still preserving her job, her secret identity, and the safety of National City, of course. So she just immediately tells Winn and Alex what the temporal rifle is, then jets off to CatCo. She still offers the first-hand account of the attack, because it's a good article, and she's afraid that anyone else would put the wrong spin on it; make Lena seem too afraid, or somehow make it seem like she was to blame. So she types it up as close to her previous attempts as she can remember and sends it over to Snapper for edits.

In the spirit of changing things up, she decides to still try to convince Lena out of holding the auction. But this time, with a much more personal and well-executed approach. She makes her way over to L-Corp once more during her lunch break, but changes back into her civilian clothes and uses the front door.

"Hi, Jess!" she greets as she walks up to her desk. "I know Lena said I can go up whenever, but I just wanted to check with you that it was okay? Is she busy or anything right now?"

Jess still crosses her arms at Kara, but her look is much less glare-y than the first time. Score. "She just went on lunch. She'll probably still be up in her office though, she usually just works through it."

"You think she'd mind if I interrupted?" Kara asks.

Jess scoffs softly. "No, probably not. I'll let her know you're coming."

Kara beams at her as she presses the button for the elevator. "Thanks, Jess. It was nice seeing you."

Jess nods back, and it's not a ringing endorsement, but it's better than last time, and Kara feels like fist pumping until she boards the elevator and realizes she still has to come up with a convincing argument against Lena holding the auction. But what could she say to make Lena change her mind? She can't think of anything she didn't say as Supergirl, but maybe if Lena sees that someone who actually knows her is worried…

Kara's thinking so hard that she almost doesn't notice when the elevator doors slide open in front of her. She squeezes between them just as they're closing and makes her way to Lena's door, hesitating slightly before knocking.

"Come in," Lena's voice calls, and Kara enters, her eyes immediately drawn over the long lines of Lena's form as she leans against her desk.

"Kara!" she welcomes, pushing off the desk. "Jess called ahead to say you were coming up. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Kara clears her throat, tries to order her thoughts. "I wanted to make sure you were okay, you know, from this morning."

Lena gestures to the couch, and the two women sit down facing each other. "Yes, I'm fine," she assures.

"Really?" Kara pushes. "You know you can tell me if you're not."

"I know, Kara. So I hope you'll believe me when I say I really am all right." Lena smiles softly at her, and Kara freezes as Lena's hand lands on her knee instead of beside it.

Kara nods, trying as hard as she can to keep her knee absolutely still so she won't knock Lena's hand off.

"S-so –" She clears her throat, tries again. "So you're being careful today, laying low?"

A slightly sheepish look comes over Lena's face. "Actually… You know that charity auction L-Corp has been planning?"

"You're not still doing it?" Kara feigns shock, hoping it's not too stale. At Lena's nod, she says, "But you're being attacked! Again!"

"Yes, and I survived before," Lena says wryly. "I'm sure I will this time. Besides, Supergirl will be there to protect the event."

"Still, I don't think it's a good idea…"

Lena looks amused. "I thought you trusted Supergirl?"

"I – Of course I do!" Kara hurries to defend.

"Then why won't you trust her to protect me?"

Kara does her best to ignore the adorable tilt of Lena's head, the way she squeezes her knee just slightly. "That – I – That's not the point." With a valiant effort, she brings her mind back on track. "I just think that you shouldn't be putting your life on the line. I know it's for a good cause, but there'll be other opportunities."

"Not like this." Lena's mouth twists bitterly. "The corporate world is a cruel one, especially for a Luthor. If I pull out at the last minute, I doubt donors will be as generous a second time."

"Trust me, I know how much business heads love to network. I had to set all of that up for Ms. Grant. But, wouldn't it be okay to push it off, just until they catch the people after you?"

Kara's heart clenches as Lena's face falls. Rao, is she messing it up again?

Then Lena speaks up, her voice low and tight. "The Luthors are the cause of so much pain. I want to help do some good in this city." Her voice drops again until it's barely a whisper. "I don't want to seem afraid."

Kara's heart shatters. "Lena…" she breathes, reaching out for her shoulder. As her fingers make contact, Lena turns away, but she doesn't shuck the touch off.

Kara gazes at her for a moment, her throat clogged with all she wants to say. _Don't be afraid. I'll protect you. You_ have _done good, so much good, you've saved so many lives…_ But she doesn't have the words.

"Lena, I… It could…" she finally chokes out. She shouldn't mention this, she shouldn't _know_ this - "Lena, it could be your mother."

Lena lets out a strangled laugh. "The thought had crossed my mind." She huffs, turning to face Kara again with a wry smile. "If I'm honest, that just makes me want to hold the auction even more."

The confusion must show on Kara's face, becaused Lena laughs again.

"I'm sorry. I know I must seem crazy. But I'm tired." She sighs, letting her head tip forward. "I'm so tired of letting... _her_ dictate my actions."

Kara rubs lightly at her shoulder; tiny, soothing circles. "Lena, will you look at me?"

When Lena looks up, her eyes shine with unshed tears. Kara squeezes her shoulder tighter.

She feels so lost. What is she supposed to say to this incredible woman beside her, whose life has been shaped so much by the terrible actions of others?

"It's not the same, but I know what it's like to have your family let you down, and feel like you have to do better than them. And I'm - I'm so sorry that so much of your life has been like that. This charity auction obviously means a lot to you." She takes a deep breath, shifting closer on the couch. "And… you mean a lot to me. So I'll support you, in whatever way you need."

Lena's eyes are wide, and a single tear slips down her cheek. She hurriedly wipes it away. Her voice sounds strained as she asks, "Really?"

Kara just nods. Suddenly, Lena is wrapping her arms around her, pulling her into a hug.

"Thank you," she whispers next to Kara's ear, sending a shiver down her spine.

As they pull back, Kara leaves her hand at Lena's shoulder. Lena gives her a tiny smile, then pulls her own hands back onto her lap, fidgeting with them.

"There's... something I'd like to ask you." She looks away quickly, then back again. Kara's hand traces down Lena's arm to wrap around her bicep, and she tilts her head encouragingly. "Would you like to come to the charity auction tonight?"

Before Lena can even begin her apology, Kara tells her, "Yes."

Lena stops, her mouth open, but quickly closes it. A smile, a genuine one, slowly spreads across her face. "Good. I'm glad."

They agree on when to meet, then Lena escorts Kara to her door.

"I'm really glad you agreed to come tonight," she says softly. "It honestly does mean a lot to have a true friend at these kinds of events."

Kara smiles back just as gently. "I wouldn't miss it."

That night, after J'onn sets out the mission for the evening, Kara pulls Alex aside.

"You should watch the front door," she tells her.

"Really, Supergirl?" Alex raises an eyebrow at her. "You think they'll come through the front door?"

"They might!" They _would_. "Maybe they want to make an entrance."

"We're watching all the doors carefully," Alex says, and Kara knows she's patronizing her, and it rankles.

She debates with herself - she's seen enough bad scifi to know that telling Alex about the time loop likely won't turn out awesomely - but even as she deliberates she catches herself saying, "I've lived this night before. I know what they're going to do."

Alex freezes, her mouth dropping open as her eye grow wide. "You've…?"

"The temporal rifle. The leader messes with it to increase its strength, and he hits me at the auction. This is the third time I've done today."

Alex blinks rapidly, her hand going to her temple as she tries to absorb the information. "You're telling me the temporal rifle has the power to send you back through time? And this has happened twice already?"

Kara nods.

"And you're only just telling me _now?_ "

With a wince, Kara nods again. "You've seen those movies! When the protagonist tells someone else they're in a time loop everything goes badly!" she defends.

" _Or_ they help the protagonist get _out_ of the loop!" Alex shoots back.

Kara opens her mouth to continue arguing, but Alex jabs a finger at her. "You know I'm right."

Kara crosses her arms, but then deflates as she gives in. "Yeah."

"So, the front door?" Alex asks.

"I haven't been able to figure out how they get through the other agents to get in, but yeah, that's how they make their entrance."

"Well they won't get in this time." Alex puts her hand on Kara's shoulder, a comfort and an assurance. "I'll have J'onn put my squad right near the entrance."

Kara lays her hand over Alex's, giving her a look of gratitude. "Thank you."

"No problem." The serious look on Alex's face gives way to a tiny smirk. "Now you can stop worrying about the assailants and focus on Lena."

Kara can only splutter helplessly as Alex walks away, her chuckles not quite soft enough for Kara to miss.

Kara decides to put in her appearance as Supergirl early again, remembering the way Lena had seem so comforted even after their terrible conversation that repeat. Just as she had hoped, she's gifted with a professional but genuine smile as she touches down beside Lena and the man she's speaking to. She assures Lena that she'll be watching the event, and makes sure to give the man the same message she had before. This time, as she floats back off, she catches a pleased, flattered look cross Lena's features.

Throughout the night, Kara lets Lena dictate their physical closeness as they make their rounds around the ballroom, though she's hyper-aware of her presence at her side. Lena stays close to her, so close Kara's skin feels electric with how near Lena's is, and she's rewarded with a few elbow touches as they move from investor to investor.

When they finally make it onto the dance floor, the press of Lena's fingers against her shoulder blade is even more heady for the anticipation.

Kara feels almost giddy, and she hums a few bars of the waltz as she and Lena spin past other dancers.

"I didn't take you for a fan of classical music," Lena says appreciatively.

Kara blushes. "I, uh, I've just heard this song a few times before."

Lena smiles at her, and she can't help the way her face lights up in return.

They twirl to a stop, and Kara guides them up to the balcony. She studies Lena's face as they speak. The lights of the city reflect in her eyes, and Kara can't help but notice once again how beautiful she is.

Lena's presence, and the knowledge that Alex is close by, lull her so that she's caught completely off guard when the doors to the ballroom slam open.

The ballroom is immediately filled with screams and flashes of blue-white light. Kara freezes, a shiver of horror running down her spine. The gunmen couldn't have gotten into the ballroom without going through Alex…

Kara immediately pulls Lena down into a crouch. "Stay down," she urges in a low voice, "I'll go get Supergirl."

But as she turns towards the balcony door, Lena's hand latches onto her wrist. Her eyes are wide and scared as they meet Kara's. "Kara, no, wait..."

Kara turns her hand to clasp Lena's. "They're not after me. I'll be okay." She stares at Lena, pleading with her eyes, until Lena finally gives a reluctant nod. "Stay out of sight. I promise it'll be okay."

Lena slowly lets go of her hand, and she shuffles away until she's through the door. She blurs into her suit, then springs over the balcony ledge into the fray.

Though she knows the people in the ballroom need her help, Kara can't stop herself from flying out the open doors, her eyes frantically searching the street for Alex. Her breath catches in her throat when she finds her, her hands frozen as she holds her gun in front of her, her mouth open in mid-shout.

Kara tears herself away, her eyes glowing red as she steps back through the doorway. She immediately releases two blasts of her laser vision at the men with regular guns, causing them to drop their weapons as she stalks towards the leader.

She should take a second, remember her aim of stopping the man without damaging the temporal rifle, but she can't quite bring herself to care. As he swings the weapon around, trying to find his opponent, she lets loose another beam. It hits the rifle square on, and an orb of light explodes from it, forcing her onto her back.

Kara lies there for a moment, feeling the concrete under her skin. "Shoot…" she mutters. She supposes she _might_ have let herself get a teensy bit carried away. But they hurt her sister, what was she supposed to do?

With a sigh, she hauls herself to her feet, taking out the two attackers coming at her. Unwilling to let the leader come as close as he did the last repeat, she shoots the rifle with her laser vision. She speeds towards him, almost reaching him when an arc of bullets hits her back.

Behind the leader she sees Lena let out a cry as the gunman's shots come dangerously close to her, hiding as much behind her frozen bodyguard as she can.

Concern and frustration battling in her chest, Kara turns to take out the assailant, hearing the leader's footfalls beating an escape even as the lackey rolls to avoid the beams of her laser vision, forcing her to leap over to him and lay him out with a punch to the face.

She stares after the van for a moment, then looks back at the people unfreezing around her. "Once more into the breach," she mutters.

After she catches herself yawning one too many times while Alex debriefs Lena, Kara realizes she hasn't slept in over forty hours. She needs sleep, badly, but she still has to take care of the important aspects of her day. Once she identifies the temporal rifle and writes up her article for Snapper as quickly as she can, she shuts herself in her office for a few hours of power napping. Lena knocks on her door just as she's waking up, and she manages to do a fairly good impression of someone who hasn't just been drooling on her desk.

She considers turning down Lena's invitation - she really should focus on stopping the assailants - but Lena's hand is on her knee, and her eyes are full of hope, and she just can't do it.

"It honestly does mean a lot to have a true friend at these kinds of events," Lena says as they cross to the door. Kara can't be sure, but she thinks she hears an odd emphasis on the word "friend."

Then they're at the door, and Lena is reaching up, a whisper of fingers across Kara's cheek. "Goodbye, Kara."

She turns away, leaving Kara frozen in the doorway until long after she turns the corner, the caress still burning on her cheek. "Bye," she finally manages, then wanders dazedly back to her desk.

After the mission briefing, and after decidedly _not_ telling Alex about the time-loop thing, Kara decides that maybe it would be best if she didn't go to the auction as Kara Danvers after all. She's let herself get too distracted the the past repeats, and she really needs to stop these attackers if she ever wants to continue forward in time.

She shoots Lena a text, apologizing profusely and explaining that something came up last minute. Lena's reply is nothing but gracious, but Kara still feels guilty as she hovers over the roof of the ballroom.

She waits until Lena has finished her speech, then floats down to meet her.

"Supergirl," Lena smiles at her. "I'm glad you were able to make it. Kara Danvers unfortunately wasn't able to. I had asked her to accompany me."

"Oh?" Kara shifts her weight from foot to foot. "That's too bad. I'm sure she feels terrible about it." She can't help but add, "She's a very nice girl."

Lena's smile softens, and her gaze grows warm. "Yes, she is."

There's a brief moment of silence before Kara clears her throat lightly. "I'll be in and out tonight, keeping an eye on things. Making sure it doesn't get too rowdy."

Lena laughs once more at the lame joke, and Kara grins back.

"Want me to talk to anyone?" she asks. "I could put in a good word for you. I've been told I have a very convincing demeanor." She puts her hands on her hips, puffing her chest out in her most commanding pose.

Lena laughs louder, her pale green eyes sparkling. "No, but thank you, Supergirl."

"Alright," Kara nods, trying and failing to tamp down her smile. "Have a nice night, Miss Luthor."

"Thank you, Supergirl. You too."

Kara flies back up and through the door to the balcony, settling on the roof. She spends the next hour alternating between scanning the surrounding streets and using her x-ray vision to watch the party below her. And if by "watch the party" she means "stare at Lena," well, no one has to know.

As she watches, she notices Lena constantly glances towards the entryway, and when she looks back to whichever businessman she's currently schmoozing, her face is a little more downcast. After the fifth or sixth time she does this, Kara realizes that, even though she had texted, Lena is still looking for her. The realization makes her chest ache.

After an hour, Kara can't take it anymore. She zips back to the DEO to grab her dress, and in no time is checking in with the bouncer at the door.

She scans the crowd, quickly zeroing in on Lena near the bar and beelining towards her.

Kara can pinpoint the exact moment Lena catches sight of her, because her face lights up in a luminous smile.

"Kara! You made it!" She throws her arms around her, and although the hug is over almost before it's started, Kara can't help a shiver at the contact.

All she can do is stare for a moment before she gets her words back. "I'm so sorry I almost didn't. I had an emergency with my… gerbil."

Kara mentally facepalms as Lena tilts her head adorably. "Oh no. Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, he, uh... got under the fridge and I couldn't get him out. But he's okay now."

The corners of Lena's lips curl up like she's holding in laughter, but all she says is, "That's good."

Lena orders Kara a flute of champagne to match her own, and Kara quietly demolishes a number of the tiny sandwiches as they sip and chat for a moment.

The music catches Kara's attention as it transitions into a now-familiar waltz, and her heart trips a beat as she forces herself to stare out towards the dance floor instead of at Lena.

She sees Lena fidget out of the corner of her eye, then slowly hold out her hand. "May I?"

Kara beams at her, taking her hand immediately. "Yes, please."

Lena giggles as she draws them into the dance, spinning and swirling with the other couples. As they twirl to a stop, Lena keeps a hold on Kara's hand, pressing a kiss to her knuckles as she drops her curtsey.

For an alien who doesn't need to breathe as much as humans, Kara thinks she would be able to deal better with having her breath stolen.

She fumbles into her own curtsey, following Lena up to the balcony. They stand close together, closer than on any other repeat, and Kara has to force herself to keep track of time.

As it draws closer to nine o'clock, she excuses herself and changes back into her supersuit. She strides back out to the main space, timing it so she's standing right in the entryway as the attackers burst their way in.

It throws them off, but not quite enough - the leader manages to duck into the ballroom as she attempts to incapacitate the lackeys. He fires randomly, his eyes tracking around the room as he searches for Lena.

"Where is she, Supergirlie?" he shouts as she lands in front of him. "Where's the Luthor?"

She doesn't bother to answer as she lunges at him, forcing him to bring the temporal rifle up and fire wildly. She twists and spirals, dodging shot after shot, shooting tiny beams of laser vision at his lower body when she finds an opening.

And she's winning, she feels like she's actually winning, when the attacker's attention is suddenly drawn away. She follows his line of sight, and there in the doorway to the balcony is Lena, her eyes wide with horror.

An awful sneer appears on the man's face as he turns his gun towards her.

Time seems to slow to the space between heartbeats as Kara watches Lena take a stumbling step back. " _No!_ "

She does the only thing she can think of: she covers the muzzle of the gun with her hand, stopping the shot.

She can feel the energy trying to escape, and the rifle starts to vibrate, its power cells growing brighter and brighter. It lets out a stuttered, high pitched whine, and Kara resigns herself to the bright flash of light that follows.

Kara groans as she finds herself in L-Corp's courtyard once more. She had been _so close_ that time. She dispatches the assailants almost distractedly, only really coming back to the present when she takes Lena's elbow to escort her to her office.

As Alex conducts her debriefing, Kara takes up her post near the screen on Lena's wall, thinking it's finally time she has that discussion with herself about how Lena makes her feel.


	4. Chapter 4

Over the past few repeats, Kara has found herself looking at Lena differently, counting down the minutes until they're together, craving her nearness. She had thought it was a product of the time-loop, of so much of the events of the repeat being focused on the woman. But the last repeat had knocked the film from her eyes. When the attacker had turned his rifle on Lena, she had been so scared. No, not scared - _terrified._ In that moment, the only thing that had mattered, beyond stopping the man or breaking the time loop, was Lena's safety. She always prioritizes the safety of those around her, but this had felt… different. It was more than concern for someone she's meant to protect, potent and all-consuming.

Rao, how can she have been so blind? The way she feels about Lena - the way her heart stutters whenever Lena walks into a room, the electricity that jumps beneath her skin whenever Lena touches her - that isn't how someone feels about their friend. She's just been too wrapped up in the routine of their friendship to notice.

Is it obvious? Alex knows, definitely, if her teasing is anything to go by. Does Lena? Over the past few repeats, Lena has seemed, somehow, to become more welcome to Kara's touch. Can she tell how much Kara longs to reach out to her, her fingers itching at her sides whenever Lena's near? Kara wouldn't put it past her; she's smart, and perceptive. In all honesty, she wonders how she had hidden it from Lena before. How she had hidden her feelings from herself.

She jolts at her name being called. "Supergirl?"

She spins around to find Lena and Alex staring at her oddly.

"Yes, I'm listening," she stutters, hurrying over to the desk.

"Miss Luthor just told me she won't cancel her auction," Alex tells her, folding her arms and raising an eyebrow expectantly.

"Right," Kara says, still not entirely present. When she catches the look of disbelief Alex shoots her, she quickly backtracks, "I mean, no, that's not a good idea, definitely not. You should cancel that."

Lena squints her eyes slightly in confusion, but continues forward. "My brother is jail. Now so is my mother. I'm the only Luthor left, and I plan to start using that name for good. This event is going to benefit charities all across the city. I won't cancel it just because I'm at risk again."

Kara can't summon up the words to argue, not with what she's discovered, so she lets Alex take the reigns, and eventually get her an invitation when Lena won't bend.

Lena accompanies them to the door, looking at Kara from beneath her lashes. "And thank you, Supergirl," she says. "I don't think I expressed my gratitude before. I look forward to seeing you tonight."

Kara has to hold herself back from taking her hand right there - she's Supergirl at the moment, not Kara Danvers. "Same to you, Miss Luthor."

They walk out into the hall, and Alex waits until the door closes behind them before asking, "What was that in there?"

"I… just -" She shakes her head. "Not now."

Alex studies her for a moment before acquiescing, and they make their way to the DEO in relative silence.

Once Winn has brought up the specs for the Malorian temporal rifle and squealed over its capabilities for a minute, Kara asks him, "Is there a way to block the time energy, or counteract it?"

He looks between her and the blueprint, his brow furrowed. "I don't know Kara, this stuff is eons beyond what we have here on Earth. I mean, even if we could come up with the theoretical, it would probably take decades to create practical applications…"

"So, basically, no." Kara sighs, rubbing at her temple. Not that she had really expected such a simple solution, but she's getting tired of living the same day over and over. "Well, I really need to get back to CatCo, so I'll leave it to you guys."

After Snapper's meeting, Kara manages to get another short nap, but wakes up feeling antsier than ever. She tries to focus on editing her article, but her office feels too small and stuffy, so she takes her laptop down into the bullpen. The chatter of reporters, while often overwhelming, now helps her feels grounded, and manages to distract her from -

"Kara?"

"Lena!" Kara leaps to her feet at the sight of Lena approaching her. "Hi! How are you?" Gosh, why is her voice so high? Calm down…

"I'm fine," Lena says with a smile. She looks around for a moment. "No Mike today?"

The question catches Kara by surprise. "No, he got fired."

"Oh, I'm sorry." Lena's mouth slants sympathetically, but Kara catches a quick glint in her eyes.

"I - he - it wasn't a good fit," Kara stumbles to explain. In reality, she's a little glad he's not in her workspace anymore. Especially since it means she can't walk in on him doing… _things_ in the storage closet.

Lena hums noncommittally. After a brief second of silence, she clears her throat and says, "Actually… I came here to see you."

"Oh?" Kara queries, hoping her voice doesn't sound too expectant.

Lena fingers her visitor's badge nervously. "Yes. There's something I'd like to ask you." She takes a breath, then asks, "Would you like to come to the charity auction tonight?"

Even as Lena opens her mouth to apologize, Kara grabs her hand, and she stops dead.

"I thought you'd never ask," she says with a crooked smile. "I'd love to."

The smile she receives in return is blinding.

"Good. That's… I'm glad to hear. In that case, I'll see you there? It starts at eight o'clock."

"Eight o'clock. I'll see you then."

They stand there for a moment, just looking at each other. Kara wants nothing more than to invite Lena up to her little office, to sit close to her, tracing her fingers up Lena's arm as she watches the goosebumps she leaves in her wake…

"I'm afraid I have to get back to work." Lena's voice interrupts her daydreaming, and she blushes a bit.

"Oh, okay." There's an awkward moment as she tries to figure out what's the proper way to say goodbye, before just giving in and opening her arms for a hug.

Lena doesn't hesitate to step into the circle of her arms, and it's possibly the best feeling Kara has ever had.

"Bye, Lena," she murmurs as she reluctantly pulls away.

"Goodbye, Kara," Lena returns, stepping away towards the elevators.

When she reaches them, she turns back to look at Kara. Kara waves at her, mouthing "bye" one more time.

The elevator doors open, and Lena looks side to side as if to check if anyone is watching before stepping in. She immediately turns back towards Kara, bringing her hand to her lips, tilting it outward and blowing towards her.

Kara raises her hand automatically, clenching her fist in mid air to catch the kiss.

As she shoves her hand in her pocket, the elevator closes on Lena's laughing face.

After the past few repeats, Kara has gotten her hairdo down pat, so she's just staring at herself in the mirror when Alex walks into the locker room.

"You look cute," she says as she settles against the counter, reaching out to wrap a wispy curl around her fingers.

Kara abruptly turned towards her, blurting out, "I think I like Lena."

Alex looks at her in surprise, until a half fond, half teasing smile breaks out on her face. "No duh"

"No, I mean really like her," she impresses, her eyes wide and just a little fearful.

Alex's face softens. She takes Kara's shoulder, squeezing it lightly. "Well, then let's keep her safe tonight."

Kara searches her face for a moment, finding nothing but support there. She sags slightly, giving her a nod. "Thank you," she whispers.

Alex pulls her into a hug, and she buries her face in the crook of her neck. "That's what I'm here for."

She rocks Kara for a moment until she pulls away, wiping at suddenly misty eyes.

"I'll go get the bad guys," Alex says, clapping her on the back. "You get the girl."

With that she turns and leaves, the sound of Kara's laughter following her into the hallway.

After that confession, Kara can't wait around at the DEO any longer, so she gets to the ballroom earlier than usual. Not really sure what to do with herself, she meanders awkwardly near the tables of items for auction while she waits for Lena to make her speech.

Wondering where she is now, Kara uses her x-ray vision to scan the crowd. There's no sign of her in the ballroom, so she looks through the walls, finally finding her in a small room just to the side of the stage.

Lena looks nervous; she's pacing slightly, her fingers twisting in front of her. As she turns, Kara can see her lips moving in what's likely a last minute review of her speech.

Kara wants to go to her, to comfort her and calm her down. She even takes a few steps in that direction, but then someone is ducking their head in the door to warn Lena that she's on, and she's once again the polished, fearless CEO. As Lena makes her way out of the room and onto the stage, there's no trace of nerves, only a stick-straight posture and welcoming smile.

 _That's my girl_.

The thought springs unbidden to Kara's mind, making her flush - when exactly had Lena become hers?

She fights down the blush, then hurries over to meet Lena at the side of the stage.

"Kara!" Lena greets with a wide smile. "I'm so glad you could make it. I'm sorry I couldn't meet you at the door, I had to make my introductory speech."

"You were lovely," Kara says without thinking, then immediately turns red again. "I mean, the speech. It was really good."

Lena giggles, ducking her head. "Thank you." She gestures out to the ballroom, asking, "So, what do you think?"

"It's amazing," Kara says, not looking away from Lena. "Will you take me around and show me how one attempts to schmooze a Luthor?"

Lena laughs. "Of course." She holds out her hand, and Kara takes it eagerly, letting Lena guide them out onto the dance floor.

As they spin, Kara can't help but stare. Lena's sparkling green eyes, her ruby lips framing a sweet smile - she's so entrancing that Kara can't look away.

"Want to go outside?" Kara asks as they make their way off of the dance floor. "It's so nice tonight, we could get some air…" And boy could she use some tonight.

Lena agrees, and they climb the spiral staircase out onto the balcony. Kara tries to keep up her side of the conversation, but her thoughts are a million miles away. It must be noticable, because Lena asks, "Is something wrong?"

"Do you like me?" Kara blurts.

She freezes, the blood draining from her face - why did she just do that?! - as Lena turns her face away.

Lena bites her lip, looking back at Kara shyly. "Was it that obvious?"

Kara's mouth drops open, speechless. "I had thought - maybe - I had hoped -"

"Hoped?" Lena reaches out, her fingers skimming along Kara's arm.

Kara closes her eyes, revelling in the sparks that seem to follow Lena's touch. When she opens her eyes again, she meets Lena's, trying to pour as much sincerity into her gaze as she can. "I really like you, too."

Lena's heart stutters audibly, and it's her turn to stare. "You do?"

Kara places a hand on her waist, drawing her closer. Lena comes willingly, trembling as Kara touches their foreheads together. "I do." She ghosts a hand over Lena's cheek, then reaches behind her back. "I saved something for you."

Lena pulls back slightly, her brows drawn slightly in curiosity. "What is it?"

Kara brings her fist from behind her back. "Your kiss."

Lena's eyes dart between Kara's for a brief second, then a grin breaks out over her face as she remembers - the kiss that she had blown as she was leaving CatCo, that Kara had pretended to catch.

"You're not going to give it back, are you?" she asks, her eyes twinkling with levity. "I'd be terribly disappointed."

"No, I'm going to share it," Kara murmurs. She brings her fist up to Lena's face, opening it just in front of her lips. Slipping her fingers under Lena's chin, she chases the imaginary kiss with her lips, pressing them sweetly to Lena's.

The kiss is slow and soft, both women sinking into it as lips gently move against each other. Lena's lips are pliant under Kara's, the taste of champagne lingering on the warmth of her skin.

Kara wants nothing more than to lose herself in the kiss, feeling nothing but Lena's full lips against her own, her smooth skin under her fingers. But then a yelp and the tinkle of glass comes from inside - likely someone dropping their glass, she gathers from the apologies that follow - and she's brought abruptly back to the situation at hand. She needs to stop the time loop, stop the attackers and break out of this cycle.

She pulls away, perhaps a bit abruptly, because Lena asks, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing!" Kara hurries to assure her, running a hand down the length of her arm. "I just thought of something. You know what we need to do?"

Lena bites her lip again, this time not looking at all shy. "What's that?"

Kara gulps, forcing herself to take a step backwards. "A toast!" she says, miming the gesture.

Letting out a surprised, fond laugh, Lena says, "Whatever you like, darling."

Kara's knees go a little wobbly at the term of endearment, but she gamely keeps herself upright and steps towards the door. "I'll go get us some champagne."

"Hurry back," Lena tells her, and the sight of her leaning against the ledge, her eyes dark and lipstick slightly smudged, makes her yearn to stay.

But she makes herself turn, makes herself walk back into the ballroom, telling herself that if she wants to move forward with Lena, she has to make sure time does the same.

She quickly changes into her supersuit, checking the time. It's still a little before nine o'clock, so she centers herself, then stalks out onto the street to meet the assailants head on.

After a few moments of eerie silence, a commotion breaks out down the street. There's the squeal of tires and pop of gunshots, accompanied by a now all-too-familiar piercing whine. Kara takes off in that direction, finally figuring out why the assailants have been getting past the DEO agents. They've arrived in an unassuming car instead of the big black van Kara had seen them flee in, and the leader is freezing everyone in his path.

"Hey!" Kara shouts, getting their attention. She springs at them as they turn towards her, all three opening fire. Ignoring the bullets, she dodges around beam from the freeze gun, taking out the men with normal guns before rounding on the leader.

He hefts the rifle at her, a snarl on his lips. "Where is she, Supergirlie? Where's the Luthor?"

"You can't have her!" Kara roars.

She dives at him, firing shots of laser vision at his legs as she spirals away from his wild shots. She bides her time, dodging and needling at him, until she finds her opening. In the blink of an eye, she's snatched the gun from him and kicked his legs out from under him, sending him sprawling. Letting out a crow of triumph, she has a split second to enjoy her victory before the weapon in her hands lets out a stuttered, high-pitched sound.

Kara's blood runs cold, and she looks around desperately for some way to stop it. "No, no…"

In a fit of desperation, she winds up to throw it, but just as the gun is leaving her hand, a ball of light explodes and sends her flying backward.

It's almost worse than the repeat after Alex was frozen, because she had done it, she had gotten temporal rifle, but it hadn't made any difference. She almost lets despair take her then and there, but the taste of Lena's lips is still on her mouth. Levering herself to her feet, Kara silently promises herself, and a now-unaware Lena, that she'll get them back to that point, and beyond. She wants to see what this relationship can become, and by Rao, she will.

She makes her way mechanically through the day, doing everything that needs to be done until finally it's time for the auction again.

Her heart is in her throat as they waltz. Lena is so, so lovely, so beautiful in every way, and even after so many hours her lips still buzz with the aftertaste of their kiss. Her heart feels like it's going to beat out her chest as she thinks about revealing her feelings once again.

"Lena," Kara says after they curtsey to each other, keeping a hold of Lena's hand. "Will you come with me? It - It's important."

Lena glances at their joined hands, then back up into Kara's ernest eyes, immediately stepping to follow her towards a back hallway. "Of course. What is it?"

Kara rubs her thumb over Lena's hand nervously, settling slightly when Lena grips tighter in return. Getting Lena out of the line of fire hadn't done much when she tried it, but she knows she won't be able to focus at all if she's out on the balcony.

"I just - I need to get you away, to somewhere… quiet."

She hears Lena's heart speed up, and when she looks back, her eyes have grown dark.

"Well then," Lena says, her voice low. "Lead the way."

Lena's thumb grazes over her wrist, and Kara can't help the way her breath hitches in her throat, or the flutter low in her belly. It makes her feel almost guilty as she opens the door to the small supply closet, drawing Lena inside.

"Why, Kara," she teases. She bites her lip briefly before a smirk pulls at the corner. "I never expected this from you."

Maybe it's her sense of contrition, or maybe it's that teasing, tantalizing smirk that makes her do it, but Kara gives a tug to their joined hands, reeling Lena towards her. Lena's free hand lands on her shoulder, while Kara's comes to rest on her waist. They gaze at each other for a moment, each holding their breath, and Kara can hear Lena's heart beating in time to her own rapid pulse.

"Lena," she breathes, unconsciously leaning forward before stopping herself, drawn by Lena's magnetic lips. "I really like you."

Lena's breath catches in her throat, and she pulls back slightly. "You do?"

Kara nods. "I do." She raises a hand to Lena's face, stilling her trembling fingers against Lena's cheek, and slowly draws her closer until their lips touch.

Lena's mouth is just as sweet, and almost without her permission, Kara's tongue darts out to taste the lingering flavor of champagne. The action draws a gasp and moan from Lena, and Kara takes advantage of the moment to dip her tongue into Lena's mouth, running it against Lena's and swallowing the second, deeper moan she produced.

Lena pulls back, her breath coming in quick pants. "God, Kara," she groans.

"I went too far, didn't I?" Kara panics, suddenly painfully, awkwardly shy. "Oh jeez, I'm so sorry, I really am…"

She starts to twist away, but the feeling of Lena's grip tightening on her shoulder makes her stop.

"You did no such thing."

Kara peeks back at her through her lashes, relieved to find Lena gazing at her with a smile and soft eyes.

"Are you sure?" Kara asks, one hand reaching to fiddle with her glasses, even as she turned back to face Lena.

Lena brings her free hand up to cup Kara's elbow, rubbing soothing circles with her thumb. "Of course I am. I only meant -" She blushes lightly, and Kara thinks it's the most beautiful thing she's ever seen. "I just meant to say… wow. That was amazing."

Now it was Kara's turn to blush. "Really?"

"Yes," Lena says earnestly. She steps closer to Kara, running her fingers lightly up Kara's bare arm and making her shiver. She leans in until her breath is hot against Kara's ear. "And I'd love to keep doing it."

Leaning back slightly, she raises one perfectly sculpted eyebrow in question.

In lieu of an answer, Kara tilts her head and catches Lena's lips once more, her hands creeping around Lena's back and pressing the other woman to her. Lena doesn't seem to mind the closeness as she plays with the wispy curls at the nape of Kara's neck. She cups Kara's skull as she presses their lips together, moving and moulding her mouth to Kara's own.

Kara's more than happy to let her take control of the kiss, as she's begun to feel somewhat weak at the knees. She knows there's something else that she ought to be doing, but all thoughts of that flee her mind when Lena changes the angle of the kiss, sliding her tongue into Kara's mouth and her knee between her legs.

Kara lets out a breathy moan, letting her head fall back as Lena presses impossibly closer, dropping open-mouthed kisses along her jaw.

But even as she begins to lose herself to the sensation of Lena's lips against her throat, she hears a faint, shrill sound from not too far off.

Focusing her hearing in the direction of the noise, she finally recognizes the sound of screaming. Multiple screams. Coming from the ballroom.

"Oh crap," she groans, leaning back to knock her head off the door, only to find herself slamming back-first into hard concrete.

With a wordless shout of frustration, she slams her fist into the ground, leaving a sizable dent in the sidewalk. She had done exactly what she had taken Lena to the closet to prevent, and let herself get so distracted that she forgot real reason she was at that charity auction. Now she's back here, _again_ , still stuck in this infernal time loop.

She hauls herself to her feet, glancing around at the now-familiar chaos of the courtyard outside of the L-Corp building. Balling her hands into fists, she begins to stalk towards the other attackers as they converged on her, her cape snapping behind her.

Kara's angry. No, she's beyond angry. She's _pissed_. Stupid bad guys with their stupid malfunctioning freeze ray that caused this _stupid_ time loop and ruined what was arguably the best kiss she had ever had.

She lets them shoot, just standing there and glaring as every last one of their bullets ricochets off of her. This time, all four men take off running after sharing brief looks of terror, but not before she catches one and decks him.

"Why don't they ever learn?" she asks the air as she looks disdainfully down at his unconscious body.

She steps over him, lasering the temporal rifle then fending off the attack from the regrouped gunman as the leader disappears into the getaway van - again.

"Don't worry, you're safe," she says rather mechanically as she places a hand on Lena's back to guide her inside. But she isn't focused on the guardedly grateful look in Lena's eye, or the warmth of her skin under her hand. Instead, she's staring at the spot where the attackers' van had disappeared from view, silently planning how she'll get back at them that night.

She half-heartedly plays her part throughout the day, interacting with others by rote, most of her attention consumed by her ire for the thugs who think they can play around with time energy.

Only when Lena comes to ask her to the auction does she find herself, as always, melting at that sweet air of insecurity, true emotion in her promise that she'll never spurn Lena.

Still, she makes no attempt to talk Lena out of holding the event, having no patience for the futile act this time. Instead, she waits, counting down the hours until she can confront the attackers once more. By the time she zones out through the DEO briefing, the kindling of her frustration has relit, creating a simmering energy coiled in her chest. She goes through the motions of preparation, then makes her way to the ballroom.

She lets herself be guided from conversation to conversation then onto the dance floor, every glance at Lena split between admiration and vexation.

As the waltz ends, Kara immediately takes Lena's hand and begins drawing her towards the back hallway. "Lena, I need you to come with me."

"Oh," Lena gasps in surprised as she lets herself be dragged along. "Kara! What's wrong?"

"I need to get you somewhere quiet," she tells her, almost unable to look back as she feels Lena relax in her grip, to see the arousal begin to steal over her face.

"Well then. Lead the way."

Kara tugs her down the hall to the storage closet, throwing open the door as she leads Lena inside. And despite her best efforts, she can't help the tug she feels towards her as she looks around with that same intrigued little smirk on her face. "Why, Kara, I never expected this from you."

It's that smirk, Kara's sure of it now. Because she once again can't help but wrap her arm around Lena's waist and clutch the other woman to her, cupping the back of her head and swallowing her surprised gasp as she presses their lips together. Kara moves her mouth roughly against Lena's, all the frustration and desire she had felt growing within her for the past few repeats condensing into one passionate kiss.

Finally, she backs away, leaving Lena looking distinctly off-kilter, her hair mussed and her lipstick smudged, her pupils blown wide. It only makes Kara want her more, but she won't let Lena distract her, not this time.

"I'm sorry," she says. She barely has time to catch sight of the tilt of Lena's head before she had steps backwards into the hall, pulling the door shut with a slam. With a twist of her wrist, she snaps off the doorknob, casting it to the side.

"Kara?" Lena's voice calls from inside the closet, confusion lacing her tone. Kara hears the doorknob rattle as she tries her side. When it doesn't work, she tries again, the door shaking slightly from her efforts. "Kara?!" she calls again, her voice growing distressed.

Before she can lose her nerve, Kara turns on her heel and makes her way back down the corridor. None of this will matter in about fifteen minutes, anyway.

She tries to keep herself calm as she makes her way back out into the ballroom, but the kiss had unlocked the frustrated energy within her, and now she can't shake it. She stalks around the outskirts of the dance floor, headed towards the door that the men always emerge from. Belatedly, she realized she's still in her dress, and ducks behind a display to pull on her supersuit.

Fully costumed, she paces to the main doors, planting herself squarely in front of them. She watches the clock, counting down the seconds until the assailants should be at the door.

Just as the second hand ticks into place, Kara places her booted foot on the door, kicking it wide, directly into the faces of the attackers.

They freeze, caught off guard by her sudden appearance, and she takes the opportunity to bring her foot up once again, kicking the temporal rifle out of the leader's hand. As it arcs through the air, she throws her fist at his face, knocking him back down the front stairs, out cold.

She catches the gun without taking her eyes off the remaining two attackers, only glancing away briefly to look over the weapon and its sprouting wires and welds.

"Did he seriously think he knew what he was doing?" she asked the men in front of her, not giving them a chance to answer before turning the gun on them and freezing them in place.

Not wasting any time, she immediately rockets into the air, putting on as much speed as she can as she shoots straight upwards. She bursts through the cloud layer, pushing herself farther and farther until she reaches the absolute edge of the atmosphere.

With a windup worthy of any major-league pitcher, she hauls off, pitching the rifle as far as she can. It zooms off towards the stars, and Kara tracks it until even she can barely see it with her enhanced vision. For good measure, she shoots a beam of her laser vision after it, the resulting explosion barely a blip on the edge of her sight.

Kara hangs for a moment, then drops back towards the earth. She speeds back to the ballroom, spotting Alex amongst the DEO agents now crowding around the entrance and landing in front of her.

"Nice work, Supergirl," Alex congratulates, her hands on her hips in a pleased gesture. "That was quick-"

"What time is it?" Kara interrupts, unable to relax until she knows for certain.

Alex looks taken aback. "What, why-"

Kara grabs her shoulder, cutting her off again. "Alex, what time is it?!"

"9:07!" she squawks, her face absolutely bewildered.

Kara deflates, using Alex's shoulder as her limbs lose all their tension. "9:07," she repeats softly, her voice infused with relief.

"Kara, what the hell is going on?"

Pushing herself back up, Kara waves Alex off. "I'm just… happy. Are the attackers in custody?"

"We've got them." Alex thumbs towards a black DEO van. "We'll take them back to the DEO for questioning."

"Okay, I'll meet you there," Kara says, turning towards the ballroom. "I have to get Lena out of the closet."

Alex nods, then processes Kara's words. "Wait, what?" she calls, but Kara is long gone.

She scurries to the back hallway, wrenching the door to the supply closet open. Lena cowers against the back wall until she sees who's standing in the doorway.

"Supergirl? What's happening"

Kara glances down at herself, having forgotten for a moment that she's still in her suit. "Miss Luthor. You're safe now. We've apprehended the assailants. Kara's been waiting outside, I'll go get her, just stay right here."

"Oh- okay," Lena gets out before Kara is turning back down the hall.

She ducks around the corner, blurring back into her dress, then hustles back to Lena.

"Lena!" she exclaims. Lena is peeking around the corner of the doorframe, and Kara feels charmed despite herself as she sees her shoulders drop in relief. "Supergirl said it was okay to come back in. Are you all right?"

"Am I all right? What about you?" Lena reaches out to her, running careful fingers over her arms in search of any wounds. "Kara, what was that earlier?"

Kara flushes, shifting on her feet. "I'm so sorry. I was - I just - I was so worried. I thought after the attack this morning the men would come after you again and I just want you to be safe so I thought if-"

Lena tugs Kara to her, thorough cutting her off with a press of lips to her own. Kara immediately goes pliant in Lena's hands, allowing her to pull her closer and mold their bodies together. The kiss is almost lazy, the only sounds their lips moving together and their hearts beating in tandem.

"Totally worth a week of repeats," Kara murmurs as they separate just slightly to catch their breath.

"What's that, darling?" Lena's words ghost over Kara's lips, her warm breath and pet name sending a deep shiver down her spine.

"Nothing." Kara presses her forehead against Lena's, pulling her impossibly closer. "Just keep kissing me."


End file.
